This was a VERY difficult list to make, so don't feel offended if I've left any of your favourites out. Also one scene per films (otherwise The Dark Knight would totally dominate the list). Also I guess I could put Birdman on this list, but that wouldn't be fair really. Also something like Guardians of the Galaxy, despite being a film I quite love, won't quite make the list because it doesn't really have specific scenes I love, I just really like how it all comes together. Also does Mad Max: Fury Road count as a superhero film? Just wondering.
Hon. Mention: Loki Confronts His Parentage (Thor)/Eats Black Widow Alive (The Avengers)
I'm glad to see Tom Hiddleston gradually finding his way into significant roles in films and television as I do think he's a very good actor. He's far more range than some give him credit for (I mean, look at what he made out of such a paper-thin role in Crimson Peak), and I really hope he gets his teeth into some heavy dramatic work soon. However, for now at least we have his excellent performance as Loki in the Marvel films to look to--though he's arguably a bit underutilised. Though I'm not a biggest fan of the Thor films he's easily the best part of them, as he's both so entertaining yet nuanced as a villain who's not exactly sympathetic, yet you can't help but have strong feelings for. In The Avengers he makes for a great smarmy presence, culminating in this great scene where Hannibal Lecter-esque, he becomes such an imposing presence even within the confines of a cell. He doesn't have the most invested co-stars to work with in these two scenes, but no matter he gives it his all, and boy is he fun to watch.
10. Nightcrawler Invades the White House, X2
A pure masterclass in editing, music choice and setting up this (still) best film of the X-Men series, I absolutely love this entrance of my favourite X-Men character as it's just so perfectly captured. Even though the film is far from perfect I still like it a great deal, and its action sequences are one of the main reasons why. It sets a high bar the rest of the film really can't live up to, though, and I do like it very much as a superhero film. It's my favourite scene in all the X-Men films, though followed closely by Quicksilver's antics in X Men: Days of Future Past.
9. Elevator Shennanigans, Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America is my favourite Avenger, and I love Chris Evans' depiction of the character as a straightforward yet not at all boring, All-American righteous dude. It's fairly difficult to pick out a specific scene of his I adore the most. His transformation scene, and farewell to Peggy Carter before his plane sacrifice, are elements of The First Avenger I really like, and in The Winter Soldier he has a great deal of cool action sequences too. Out of all of them my personal favourite would most certainly be the elevator action scene which is marvellously edited and ingeniously thought out. Really though, if I had to pick out which scene featuring Captain America as a character I love the most though, I'd go for the plane scene which hits the emotional sweet spot each time. It's just that taking down people in an elevator looks so cool, so Oldboy-esque.
8. Iron Man in Gulmira, Iron Man
Most of the best moments of the Iron Man films involve Tony Stark and not the suit. I mean after all he's played by Robert Downey Jr., an actor who can coast by films just on his charm (though he's so much more than just that). His scenes of snarky humour and banter outside the suit are great, however in terms of just pure awesomeness this is probably my favourite individual scene in all the Iron Man films. The earlier scene where he first uses a primitive version of the suit to escape from captivity is pretty great, but this one is even more spine-tingling.
7. Clark Meets Jor-El, Learns to Fly, Man of Steel
As I've said before, Man of Steel is a guilty pleasure for me. There's lots of scenes in it I love in a really corny sort of way, like Colonel Hardy and Faora's exchanges culminating in a wonderfully satisfying 'A good death is its own reward', Michael Shannon repeatedly screaming that he WILL FIND HIM, Clark yelling YOU THINK YOU CAN THREATEN MY MOTHER as he takes down Zod, but my favourite scene--well, I'm cheating a bit here, scenes technically speaking--is when Henry Cavill's Clark Kent comes face to face with Russell Crowe's Jor-El, who with all the gravitas of a thousand suns explains his son's origins, his purpose in the universe, and reveals his costume to him, and whose voice inspires Clark to take flight. Now I'm not ashamed to admit that Crowe is amongst my nominees for Best Supporting Actor for 2013 (which are, by the way, Barkhad Abdi the winner, Ben Foster for Lone Survivor, Colin Farrell, Matthew McConaughey for Wolf of Wall Street, and Crowe). He just brings such splendour and elegance to his lines that alongside Hans Zimmer, gives this scene all the conviction it needs, and more.
6. TAKE COVER CHILD, Kick-Ass
Nic Cage hamming it up, Hit Girl being a badass, rousing music, top-notch cinematography. What's not to like? Kick-Ass used to be one of my favourite films, and though my passion for it has waned considerably over the years I still think it's a very good film, and contains some great moments, like this scene and Hit Girl's rampage to Joan Jett.
5. Batman REALLY Begins, Batman Begins
Close second was Cillian Murphy's delivery of 'He's here...The Batman', but this is definitely my favourite scene in Batman Begins, what I think is the perfect way of going about doing an origin story, albeit not a perfect film itself. Anyway Batman's entrance could not be better handled, as Nolan pulls out all the tricks in his arsenal to set up his first appearance with all the tension mustered throughout the film up till this point, with some great action choreography, camerawork, and a very satisfying comeuppance paid to Carmine Falconi (Tom Wilkinson).
4. The Ending, V for Vendetta
A film I like even more, the more I think about it, I've written about V for Vendetta on here before but haven't really gone into detail about what I love about particular scenes. Well it was very tough to pick a specific scene out for this list. There's the heartrendingly moving letter scene, V's marvellous entrance in which he uses nothing but V-starting words, V's propaganda speech, Evey being reborn into a revolutionary, V's surprisingly tender murder of the sole villain who feels any regret for her actions, and of course V's last stand. Out of all these scenes however, I chose to go with that brilliantly filmed ending. You don't even necessarily have to agree with V's principles to go along with it, because it's just such a beautiful blend of spectacle, grand music, and the perfectly coalesced underplayed performances of Natalie Portman and Stephen Rea, whose characters have both gone through significant arcs, musing on what V meant to humanity.
3. Bruce escapes from Bane's prison, The Dark Knight Rises
Now this was an easy scene to pick. The Dark Knight Rises is not a great films, but it certainly has great moments. Bane's speech, the Dark Knight's return to Gotham (especially the one on ice), Alfred leaving Wayne Manor, anything involving Catwoman. My favourite scene of them all however is the spellbinding scene in which Bruce Wayne escapes from the pit Bane had broken him down into. Bale gives his best performance in the series, and one of the best superhero performances ever, and I'll admit to always getting chills down my spine as I watch Wayne make his way out of there, ready to take on Bane and protect the city he loves.
2. A Spider Stops a Train, Spider-Man 2
I have a soft spot for all three of the original Spider-Man trilogy (yes, even aspects of Spider-Man 3), and the new films really make me miss them all the more (I mean look at how poorly they handled Uncle Ben's death scene in the new ones). Yeah, I hate the new films. Deal with it (I'm really glad the character is getting rebooted since it means Andrew Garfield can get back to doing proper dramatic work and being the great actor he is, and Tom Hollander appears to be a fitting replacement, with more of the classic Spidey vibe to him). Anyway, the second film is definitely my favourite of them all. There's plenty of great scenes in it, among them being Peter Parker rushing into a burning building to save a child without his powers, the bank fight scene with Otto Octavius, and J.J. Jameson's hilarious reaction to Spider-Man coming back after giving an oddly poignant speech about his regrets of how he portrayed the wall-crawler in the press. The train scene, however, tops them all just in pure visceral power. Tobey Maguire gives his all in this scene, and though technically speaking it's all rather improbable it's still pretty darn rousing.
1. The Joker Makes a Deal, The Dark Knight
Picking a favourite scene in The Dark Knight is like picking a Domino's pizza, there's just so many varieties to choose from and they're all so good in their different ways. I hate to leave off any of Gary Oldman's brilliantly understated dramatic scenes including his brilliant final monologue on what Batman means to Gotham, the 'Sophie's Choice' scene, Batman rescuing the hostages, the opening bank scene, the 'Tonight's Entertainment' scene ('Why hello beautiful' has never worked as a pickup line since), any of the 'you know how I got these scars' monologues, the car chase sequence, Two-Face coming into full bloom, the Hong Kong scenes, if it feels like I'm digressing into a bit of a list now that's inevitable. The scene I hate to leave off most of all is the interrogation scene, because as much I love that scene, I love the Joker's scene in which he trolls the mafia most of all. It's basically a scene designed to give Heath Ledger a bit of an opportunity to show off and I must say, it works completely for me. I have underrated The Dark Knight for too long, and it really is a masterpiece (NOTE: I could change to any of the other scenes at any point, as this really is a great film).
I have to admit, this is my favourite telling of the Robin Hood legend I've seen. The Kevin Costner one is entertaining (with a great villainous turn by Alan Rickman) but is quite frankly a bit trash if you look closely. The Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe collaboration is decent and has its moments, but really would've worked better as a Gladiator prequel or something. I also am not that big a fan of the Errol Flynn The Adventures of Robin Hood. Which leaves this film. I love it firstly for the ingenius decision to make each character an animal, Friar Tuck as a mole is just perfect. Beyond this concept the film is just a lovely entertaining ride, utilising the funny but also quite rousing image of animals in combat and milking it for all it's worth, and just acting as a plain fun film to watch.
9. Dumbo
The original underdog tale! Could be a bit longer I suppose, but I guess that's really testament to its overall strengths as a film. It really works best as just a simple children's film (though there is that surreal David Lynchian dream sequence that is worthy of an academic examination), and I can think of few others which do as good a job as this tale of an elephant who learns to fly with his big ears. Not only a very sweet and entertaining film but with a very important central message that's very well handled.
8. The Little Mermaid
Technically cheats a bit by not retaining the heartbreaking original ending to the Hans Cristian Andersen story but I'll forgive the filmmakers for that because this is just such a sweet lovely film, that one probably couldn't take it if it all ended badly for Ariel. The whole mermaid world is really well done, but the film probably excels best once she gets out of water and it becomes quite an interesting examination of a rather unique sort of gradual attraction. It's a uniquely handled romance brought wonderfully to life by some great songs and wonderful animation.
7. Aladdin
A great comedy, this has celebrity voice casting at its peak with Robin Williams' pitch-perfect casting as the Genie dominating the film. Now I will say that Aladdin isn't necessarily the most engaging protagonist, but he works for the film's love plotline and the colourful side characters are more than enough to make up for him. Beyond that it's just a great idea to implant Williams' standup routine into the splendour of the Arabian nights. This film is a great, wonderful ride through some delightful setpieces and if the plot's not really all that complicated, who cares, you've never had a film like this.
6. The Great Mouse Detective
One helluva underrated animated picture. Firstly it has Vincent Price as effectively Moriarty (Ratigan), albeit in a rat form--isn't that just brilliant voice casting? Anyway, the concept itself is brilliant, with the sleazy literal underworld of sewers and rat hidings being the stomping ground for our titular detective Basil (named after Rathbone, of course). I love a good ol' Sherlock Holmes-ian story and this is no exception, the mystery is actually surprisingly well done and genuinely quite unnerving and terrifying at points, but is also offset nicely by an underlying warmth to the story that's also rather well done.
5. The Emperor's New Groove
Kronk is just the most endearing henchman ever, well played by Patrick Warburton, and he's one of the many excellent factors about another one of Disney's most underrated films. Beyond him it's just a very, very clever retelling of well, a great many variations of the 'selfish rich man gains a heart' story trope by turning the titular Emperor Kuczo (David Spade) into llama for his faults by the devious Yzma (a hilarious Eartha Kitt). This is a great example of Disney delving into just pure, unadulterated comedy. The laughs come constantly, and that's all that really matters.
4. Mulan
With one amazing song, possibly my favourite out of all the Disneys ('I'll Make a Man Out of You') it would be easy for one to simply write off the film's excellence to this whammer of a tune. But besides that it's a rousing pro-feminist story, with arguably the best written character of the whole lot as Mulan is a flawed, endearingly naïve but in the end, admirably brave and badass character, the side characters are all delightful and easy to root for (particularly the big lovable Po and the Eddie Murphy-voiced Dragon). The villainous Huns are a bit underwritten but they work as detestable adversaries, and help make the third act every bit as exciting as the first act is remarkably sensitive, the second act amusing and joyous, and the grand whole just a wonderful Disney animated motion picture.
3. Beauty and the Beast
Sublime, near-flawless film. Belle is probably as unique and wonderful a Disney 'princess' (to use the terminology loosely) as they come, and acts as a wonderfully clever, astute foil to the Beast, voiced wonderfully by Robbie Benson. The cast of quirky side characters are all done well, Gaston is a suitably imposing villain, and though simple and straightforward the story is told with such an elegiac, classical flair that you can't help but fall in love with it over and over again. I hestitate to call it the best version of the story, as the 1946 French version is also quite incredible in itself, but this is a great animated film too.
2. Tarzan
Containing two of my favourite Disney Songs 'You'll Be In My Heart' and 'Son of Man' (I'm just a sucker for Phil Collins really), this is an ourageously entertaining Disney venture that brings so much character out of the jungle and jungle life. The voice casting is particularly good here with Brian Blessed, Glenn Close and Lance Henriksen being particularly well-chosen for their roles, it has some excellent action setpieces and as always for Disney at its best, makes the most of the emotional undercurrent to the tale of a man amongst apes.
1.Pinnochio
Pure magic, and Disney at its very finest. It pains me to not give it Best Picture for 1940 but it's such a strong year for film with Rebecca, The Shop Around the Corner and The Great Dictator to compete against it. With splendid imagery, it's appealing on a visual level by just how beautiful and yet disconcertingly dark and morbid it can get with its animation (think of the Jackass transformation scene and marvel at how daring it was for its time), the story flows along beautifully, it packs quite the emotional punch when needed, and has some memorable characters (most notably its array of villains and lowlifes, and on the opposite spectrum the luminous Blue Fairy and the sprightly Jiminy Cricket), a wonderful father-son relationship at its centre, and some great songs, like 'Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide' and of course, 'When You Wish Upon a Star'. A masterpiece.
Effectively a two-scene wonder in a film populated with them, Oldman's turn as wannabe-black pimp Drexl Spivey is quite possibly my favourite part of a great ensemble, whose main meat of his performance comes in my favourite scene in the film. In terms of Oldman just disappearing into a role, this is probably the best example of it as even without that much in the way of makeup, he transforms himself into this pseudo-Jamican crook with a penchant for casual callousness, he grinds each word out with a brilliant 'gangsta' accent and coarse delivery that just fits the character perfectly, and is equal parts ridiculously funny and ridiculously scary. In less than 10 minutes he makes such a great impact on the audience. 4. State of Grace
In a not particularly outstanding film, Oldman dominates the screen with a barnstorming turn as yet another criminal lowlife, but this time with significantly more screentime, focus and interestingly, a sympathetic bent. The unpredicatable Jackie Flannery is so many different things piled up into one--friend, adversary, maniac, heart of the film--in conception, that any lesser performance would have made it all go so, so very wrong. Thankfully Oldman is more than up to the task in creating this fireball of emotions from his whole manner and posture as the feisty Irish American criminal from Hell's Kitchen, and goes even further than just plain pitch-perfect mannerisms with the strong emotional undercurrent he gives to the character's passionate anger and loyalty to his gang that's oh so sympathetic. 3. Sid and Nancy
A brilliant example of a performance in which the character conception is just so darn subtle it can take a while to appreciate the brilliance of this performance. Oldman's depiction of Sid Vicious is so subtle in how he develops all the character's mannerisms, tics and the way he goes about his musical endeavours. He has absolutely fantastic chemistry and anti-chemistry with co-star Chloe Webb as Nancy Spungen, and maintains the brilliant characterisation of Sid Vicious while he goes through the stages of his life, ups and downs, and reflecting each key moment in every aspect of his performance, physical, vocal and building up to an absolutely scintillating and oddly heartbreaking finale. A great, great performance. 2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
I give some extended thoughts here (http://actorvsactor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/head-to-head-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy_24.html), but safe to say that Oldman's incredibly subtle turn as George Smiley is a masterclass in understated acting, with not a single moment wasted in his performance to give a sense of who this enigmatic spy is and what the mission he's on is affecting him.
1. Leon: The Professional
'Leon' is an excellent action thriller because it subverts the genre in so many distinct ways. The central relationship between Jean Reno and Natalie Portman of course, but also Gary Oldman's grandstanding turn as the pure pill-popping evil of Norman Stansfield. Oldman's performance is hammy that's for sure, but it sure is scrumptious, succulent ham. Oldman gives this role his all, making the corrupt cop into an eccentric, terrifying, hilarious and self-hating fella who you just LOVE to hate. I have no qualms in calling this my favourite Gary Oldman performance because it is not only downright entertaining and chilling, it's also probably the most difficult challenge he's had in his whole career as this form of HAM can so, so easily go to the wrong side. You can't take your eyes off him whenever he's onscreen.
10. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
9. The Dark Knight
8. Prick Up Your Ears
7. Bram Stoker's Dracula
6. JFK
I hestitate to put it on the list because technically it's not an Irish film, it's just about two Irish hitmen, but gosh what a fantastic pair of Irish hitmen they are. See the film.
10. The Boxer
A wonderfully small-scale, quietly charming and very understated (I mean even Brian Cox tones it down here) film like most of the films on this list, this is the first and not the last, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jim Sheridan collaboration that will appear on this list. A very simple story about a former IRA member (Day-Lewis), out of prison after a 14-year stint, trying to adjust back to life on the outside through starting a boxing club and rekindling a romance with a former sweetheart (Emily Watson). The romance is interestingly enough not really the main focus, it's there but the excellent performances of Watson and Day-Lewis means that it's always quite nicely, sweetly Rocky-esque rather than melodramatic, and there's other little elements to the Irish life that are rendered so vividly through Sheridan's directorial eye. It's a thoroughly engaging watch throughout and though the ending might lack a bit of punch, I can't fault it too much as it's very satisfying.
9. The Quiet Man
I might not love this film as much as many seem to, but I can't deny that it's an absolute blast of entertainment from the always-solid pairing of John Ford and John Wayne. Another low-key drama, this time with much more a comical bent, featuring Wayne as another boxer, this time of the American variety, returning back to a small Irish town to revisit his roots. Technically speaking he has a very dark secret to hide but the film doesn't dwell too much on it except in select, effective dramatic moments. Mostly however it's just a fun little look into one quirky and very, very endearing Irish community, from the potential love interest in the form of Maureen O'Hara (wonderfully sassy in the right degree), Victor McLaglen doing his boisterous OTT routine with great aplomb as her drunkard brother, and the likes of Ward Bond, Francis Ford, Arthur Shields and especially Barry Fitzgerald adding so much to the rest of the supporting players.
8. Calvary
A re-watch of this fairly recently improve it a great deal for me. I still don't think it's quite perfect, it lags a bit in parts and the conclusion, I can see why it'd be divisive (though I loved it personally). Anyway, though, I certainly can't fault it for its ambition, and its execution of this deceptively epic tale of a priest (Brendan Gleeson) who, having been given a week to sort out his personal affairs by a parishioner at confession before the latter kills him, goes about the village dealing with both the affairs of others, and his own inner turmoil. The film has a pretty good ensemble, but in the end though, it is Brendan Gleeson's show, and boy does he deliver. I'm having a tough time deciding whether this is his greatest performance or not as he does so much within the potential limitations of being a purely good man, as he makes his interactions with all the townsfolk so beautifully soulful, poignant, even funny. I need to see more of the man's leading work, definitely.
7. Breakfast on Pluto
Lovely is the word I'd use to very pithily describe this film. It does exactly what it says on the tin with 'quirky Irish comedy about a transgender soul played by Cillian Murphy and his exploits across quirky Ireland', if that sounds like I'm making fun of the film, it's not. I really quite love this little Irish comedy for a great many reasons, one being that Murphy is just great in the lead role, he makes what could've potentially been a bit of a stereotype, offensive at that even, just such a well-rounded, lovable character. Past this great performance, the film is just stunning to look at visually, in particular any scene Bertie (Stephen Rea) performans his magic tricks, and the script is both wryly funny and quite moving in equal measure.
6. Ryan's Daughter
Another film about a small Irish community!! And directed by David Lean, yes, David Lean, he of the grand epics Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai,and Dr Zhivago. What many people forget is that alongside an aptitude for such grand works he was also a filmmaker with a deft touch for intimate human relations (see: Brief Encounter), and this is an intensely powerful example of that. A sort-of adaptation of Madame Bovary transplanted to County Kerry, Ireland, this story of a married Irish woman (Sarah Miles) who engages in an affair with a British officer (Christopher Jones) is marred slightly by the performance of Jones, who never seems very comfortable in any aspect of the role whether it be the depiction of his character's PTSD, or the romance with Miles. Past that however, everyone in the cast is near-perfection. Miles gives a splendid performance, playing both to her usual strengths of allure but also with a twist in showing a kind and selfless soul lurking beneath it, Robert Mitchum is surprisingly good at playing the kind-hearted, betrayed husband, Leo McKern as the titular Ryan is pretty great as are John Mills, and Barry Foster all adding a great deal in their supporting turns as fellow Irishmen. The script is great, the scenery is amazing, the score by Maurice Jarre is sublime as always, but the greatest element of the film by far is one of my favourite actors, Trevor Howard, giving an astoundingly inspired, incredible turn as the county priest who exemplifies the toughest sort of love imaginable, and who stays in my mind all the more with every viewing of the film.
5. In the Name of the Father
The second Day-Lewis/Sheridan collaboration on this list, and a film that really hits me in all the right places and the more I think about it, the more I'm seriously considering putting it as my 1993 Best Picture winner, yes over The Remains of the Day, Gettysburg and Schindler's List. Well, okay, maybe not as those films are probably more immaculately flawless than this film which still does have some minor faults here and there, but where it succeeds, in particular in the scenes with Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his father (Pete Postlethwaite). It tells the real-life case of the Guildford Four incredibly well, and does well enough in maintaining just enough pacing throughout. Really I think I need to re-watch this to comment more, but rest assured that I can recommend it solely on the basis of its emotional power alone.
4. Brooklyn
I've begun to realise that a great many people don't seem to have taken to this simple love story as much as I have, even though they recognise its technical excellence, as well as the unquestionable brilliance of Saoirse Ronan's marvellous lead performance, they think it's too simple a tale, too unsubstantial with style over substance, well all I can say is I wholeheartedly disagree. It does annoy me a bit when people criticize films like this and say, Mad Max: Fury Road for their supposed 'simplicity'. Do films always need to have extraneously complex plotting or convoluted twists, or hidden darker sides to characters, no they don't, in Mad Max's case by just playing the characters as straightforward in their specific 'types' the film develops them so well. In Brooklyn our romantic triangle of Ronan's shy Irish girl coming out of her shell, Emory Cohen's ridiculously charming Italian-American nice guy, and Domhnall Gleeson's wonderfully gentlemanly rugby lad, are all simple characters, as are most of the supporting cast, but they never feel unrealistic. I hate when films feel the need to needlessly implant say, a darker side to a love interest, an edgier bad-boy vibe to him, a dark past of some sort, something that makes him alluring through its enigmatic quality, with these two love interests and indeed, Ronan's Éilis, they're all lovable characters not because they're unrealistically perfect, but because they're just sweet. It's a sweet film and an incredibly moving story told in the most brilliant way, and I will defend the excellence of it to the very end.
Anyway, just realised I haven't really commented on what makes this a great Irish film. Well it's all about a young Irish woman, played by Saoirse Ronan, and her journey to and fro from Brooklyn back to her small little hometown in southeast Ireland, with romance and sweetness galore, and one of the greatest film endings in recent memory.
Watch it.
3. The Crying Game
The definition of a film that is so much more than what it's known for. People always know it for THE TWIST, which is well done, but personally what I find most fascinating about the film is how it mergest THE TWIST so seamlessly along it's discussion of politics, race, and morality. It's basically the story of an IRA soldier, Fergus (Stephen Rea) and his life-changing experience with firstly a British soldier (Forest Whittaker, dodgy accent but still very moving) and successively, the soldier's girlfriend (Jaye Davidson). Rea's performance in this is something to behold, as he plays such a listless, insignificant and quite frankly, normal man but infuses him with such nuanced depth that makes Fergus' transition from mindless soldier to a man following his heart and morals, incredibly moving. His performance drives the film from tone to tone, whether it be the deliciously malicious IRA plotting scenes where Miranda Richardson's deliciously evil Jude takes over, to the more tender and heartfelt scenes with Davidson. As an Irish film I love that Neil Jordan never really takes one side or the other in terms of the political spectrum, by humanising both sides of the conflict, even the very worst of our characters (Richardson's demonic Jude for instance) are revealed to be so fallibly human, and also I love the ending of the film, how it at the same time is so heartwarming and yet bittersweet. A film I am most annoyed how some people use as a punchline to jokes, or THE TWIST being the sole discussed factor, as it's so much more than that, it's a masterpiece.
2. My Left Foot
First off, it's incredible how in retrospect Daniel Day-Lewis was not the frontrunner for the Oscar back in 1989. Not that Tom Cruise was bad in Born on the Fourth of July or anything, in fact I thought he was rather good, as were the other nominees, but quite frankly I don't think I could quite justify anyone else winning that year besides Day-Lewis for his marvellous turn as Christy Brown, a man who suffered from celebral palsy which left him with movement contained to solely his left foot. It's probably the most technically brilliant performance of all-time as you never feel like Day-Lewis is acting out these ailments, it's almost uncomfortable to watch how vividly he brings them to life, but also all the facets of the fellow that made him what he was. It's tough to watch him because he's so good at first being this helpless, angry figure, and yet slowly but gradually bringing out the more endearing qualities without ever sugarcoating his portrayal. Rarely do we ever see an effective portrayal of physical handicaps onscreen; Day-Lewis brings not only this, but also goes beyond that through his intensely emotional and incredibly effective performance. There's more than just Day-Lewis to the film though, even though he's by far the best part of it. Ray McNally and Brenda Fricker are absolutely fantastic as Christy's parents, Hugh O'Connor is incredible at playing Christy in his younger years, Jim Sheridan's direction is at its finest and the film wonderfully never sugercoats the flaws of Christy as a man.
1. Odd Man Out
Quite possibly one of the most underrated films of all-time. I mean Carol Reed was an incredibly underrated director anyway, I know, I know The Third Man is universally loved and acclaimed and he won the Oscar for Oliver, but the rest of his filmography, from the brilliant Outcast of the Islands to the marvellously genius The Fallen Idol simply don't get the attention they deserve. And of course, Odd Man Out. How do I go about first describing the utter brilliance of this film. It's about yes, an odd man out, in the form of James Mason's IRA-like leader on the run from the authorities after a bungled robbery. But to diminish it to this is just overly simplistic, as though that's the central driving force of the film, it's so much more than that. It's a great character study, and for once not just on one character, Mason's Johnny McQueen gets plenty of focus in his slowly deteriorating physical and mental state which is heartbreakingly portrayed, but more importantly the focus also extends to how the search for this figure on the loose affects all the other inhabitants of the town. Kathleen Ryan is particularly amazing in an almost entirely reactive role as Johnny's lover, all manner of great British and Irish character actors like Robert Newton, William Hartnell and W.G. Fay are outstanding in their contrasting depictions of townsfolk who deal with Johnny, and F.J. McCormick as an opportunist-turned-good man has a wonderful little arc within the film. The film could've been bogged down by all these little subplots but it never feels such, it evokes such tension while also lacing it with some surprisingly surreal humour, the B&W cinematography gives the Irish town such startling beauty, the soaring score lends its intimacy some well-deserved grandeur, in short, it's a marvellous film, and my choice for the greatest Irish film of all-time (even if I've been told that most of the Ulster accents are a wee bit dodgy).
1930s: Senator Paine (Claude Rains), Mr Smith Goes to Washington
Rains, giving his best performance, is simply pitch-perfect as the villain to Jimmy Stewart's heroic Mr Smith, by never going about the performance in any one way. He's charismatic, kindly and seems oh so genuine in that not-quite-façade he puts on when gently stringing Stewart along, coldly incisive in any scenes which requires that he be a more straightforward villain that are just tough to watch, and even manages to find a middle ground between these in brief, reactionary momnts in which he sems torn between his past as a good man, and his present status as a cog in the political system. Enthralling acting work and the writing behind the character is so good too.
Runner-Up: Judge Frollo (Cecil Hardwicke), The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Note: I would've put James Cagney in Angels in Dirty Faces and Peter Lorre in M on this list if I really felt the films used their criminal characters as villains, which I don't quite think they do. Anyway, the character of Frollo is just a ripe, juicy part for any actor to play, and Hardwicke certainly takes advantage of this by giving a great portrayal of what unhinges a formerly kind and compassionate man into the soulless, repressed and ultimately, tragically misguided soul who does evil deeds as a means to repress his desires.
Runner-Up: The Wicked Witch of the West (Margaret Hamilton), The Wizard of Oz
1939 sure was a great year for villains. The role of the Wicked Witch of the West might be more straightforwardly despicable than the aforementioned 2 villains, but I don't care, Hamilton is just so fun to watch as essentially the mother of all cinematic witches and bitches, she's just so deliciously callous and malevolent with each word spouted out of her mouth.
The definitive cinematic femme fatale. Stanwyck was perhaps best known for her comedic aptitude in the likes of Ball of Fire and The Lady Eve, or her dramatic damsel in duress turns in Stella Dallas and Sorry Wrong Number, but my personal favourite of hers, and one she should've most definitely won the Oscar for, was as the cold centre of Billy Wilder's masterful noir about Fred MacMurray's smitten Walter Neff and how he's cast into a murder plot by Stanwyck's incredibly alluring, disconcerting, deceptive, basically all kinds of complex turn as the worst sort of manipulator, one who shows absolutely no remorse for her actions and uses everyone as a tool, a means to an end until the very end when it all comes to bite her in the back in one breathtakingly well-acted scene in which Phyllis gets her comeuppance. Stanwyck gives one of my all-time favourite performances with an incredibly unique and memorable character.
As for Attenborough? Well I'll get into him a bit more when I discuss my 1970's villains, but in Brighton Rock he gives a memorable depiction, perhaps the best of any fictional character I love (though love perhaps is not the right word for Pinky) and novel I adore, of just a strikingly psychopathic individual who uses violence not for pleasure, but as the only way he knows how to solve problems.
Runner-Up: Cody Jarrett (James Cagney), White Heat
A scintillating example of Cagney at his very best, as he makes such a deplorable lowlife like Jarrett, who is basically every horrible aspect of the gangster mentality wrapped into one, with some downright shocking psychological issues to boot, so incredibly compelling to watch, working within the limits of films that time to create an unnerving villain far greater than many films with carte blanche to be as excessive as they please.
Runner-Up: Mr. Potter (Lionely Barrymore), It's a Wonderful Life
I thought of putting either Kathleen Byron's Sister Ruth from Black Narcissus, Clifton Webb's Waldo Lydecker in Laura, or Orson Welle's Harry Lime from The Third Man but decided in the end to go for the more conventional (not that that's a bad thing) villain type of the miserly banker who cuts just such an imposing presence just by sitting there and gesticulating with those incredibly expressive eyes and expressions of his, sending chills down the audience's spine with just a passing remark.
1950s: Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), On the Waterfront
Friendly is the perfect opponent to Marlon Brando's definitive performance as Terry Malloy. He actually doesn't have that much in the way of screentime but still manages to give an effortlessly complex portrayal of a downright dirty and vehement gangster who watches his iron fist over the slowly moralised Malloy fading, and his subsequent breakdown and unleashing of anger as a result of this is just incredibly compelling to watch. What could've been a stock villain is instead made into a most memorable one.
Runner-Up: Bruno Anthony (Robert Walker), Strangers on a Train
Arguably the best villain ever in a Hitchcock film, it's a shame Walker's performance had to come in a year where both Trevor Howard and Michael Redgrave vie for my personal title of Best Actor 1951 with their performances in Outcast of the Islands and The Browning Version because Walker's work here is simply, sublime. He makes Bruno Anthony at first such a quirky but off-putting presence, and in slowly bringing out the increasingly vile, hidden nature to his character's false prim and proper amiability. Walker makes this villain thoroughly entertaining to watch but also so deeply disturbing in his cold, methodical approach to killing, yet also oddly sympathetic in his desire for some sort of strange comradeship. Great work.
Runner-Up: Colonel Saito (Sessue Hakayawa), Bridge on the River Kwai
What I love about this performance is just how nuanced it is. Technically the film could've left us with just your standard Japanese Commandant sort of malicious figure and it'd have been still a fine film because of Alec Guinness' great lead performance, but the excellent screenwriting by Robert Bolt and Hakayaw never let anything about Saito remain that simplistic. Hakayawa matches Guinness with his intriguing portrayal of a career soldier whose madness is of an excessive devotion to the code of the soldier, whose every act of cruelty is in the name of being the perfect soldier, Hakayawa never lets any of this overbear his performance but instead, lets this seep out subtly in his actions and deeds, making the arc of Hakayawa so compelling to watch.
Note: I do like most of the Pixar catalogue a great deal so most of this ranking is about on an equal level for me, except the top 2.
15. Cars 2
Just a very tired, uninspired retread (no pun intended) of the original which I wasn't in love with anyway. There's a bit of fun to be had in the pseudo-spy car stuff with Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer's characters but mostly it's quite unmemorable, apart from realising the universal truth that making a funny side character like Mater the star a la Leslie Chow in The Hangover series is a recipe for disaster.
14. Cars
Not a great film either, but it has a few things going for it. It has a fairly interesting concept, some decent voice acting (particularly Paul Newman in his final *sniff* role), it looks good and actually isn't too bad a film overall, despite being decidedly uninspired in its plotting and character tropes.
13. Brave
This is one I need to re-watch as I feel like I may have gone in with unfair expectations that this was going to be like an animated blend of Braveheart and Winter's Bone. Well it's certainly not that, and I ended up thinking it was a well-done enough film about a defiant Scottish princess seeking to revert a spell cast upon her mother, with some lovely visuals and an engaging enough plot. It didn't reach the heights I expected but I enjoyed it well enough, and I feel like watching it again would help bump it up.
12. Monsters University
As far as Pixar sequels (in this case, prequel) go, much, much better than Cars 2. Technically speaking a bit of a strangely conceived film, as surely the way Monsters Inc. played to audience members we would've liked to see the continued transition of Sulley and Mike as characters, as opposed to the scaring shenanigans they got up to before the events of Monsters Inc.? I mean I'm no big fan of prequels in general but this one is cute and funny enough, with some lovable side characters, killer sight jokes, and if the third act does get a bit suddenly schmaltzy it's well done enough in that respect.
11. Ratatouille
A good Pixar film I watched back to back with The Simpsons Movie back in the day, and where my feelings have waned oh so much with regards to the latter, they've only strengthened with the former. First off the way the food is portrayed in the film is sumptuous, each frame is simply très délicieux. It's at its heart a very simple underdog--I mean, underrat--story of Remy the rat making his way in the world of cooking by proxy of a hapless young chef, it's well-made throughout, equal parts funny and moving, and has a great cameo by Peter O'Toole as the Louis Jauvet-lookalike food critic Anton Ego.
10. A Bug's Life
A terrific example of universe building, a bug's world is constructed down to such marvellous detail, I feel like its beauty is the sort of beauty Avatar was aiming for and failed miserably with its scenery. The protagonist Flik might be a bit of a bland slate but every other character is so colourful and endearing, from Kevin Spacey's devious villain Hopper to Joe Ranft's delightful German-accented caterpillar Heimlich. I thoroughly enjoy watching this film and would highly recommend it to anyone for family perusal.
9. Up
The opening few minutes are some of the finest ever in animated film. Past that though it never quite reaches the emotional punch of its opening, it's still a very rousing adventure of a curmudgeon old man who finds life once again in the most lovely of forms, an endearing duo of Scout kid and yapping dog. I need a re-watch for this too.
8. Finding Nemo
Australian seaturtles, Ellen DeGeneres and Albert Brooks and WILLEM DAFOE and GEOFFREY RUSH doing voices, a wonderful under the sea universe that makes up for the atrocities the likes of Shark Tale were trying to commit, and a simple lovely father-son story at its core. What's not to like?
7. Inside Out
Pixar's most recent venture and already one of their best. Bing Bong might be one of my favourite ever Pixar characters ever, and past that it's actually quite hard-hitting a film in certain regards, with themes that can relate to pretty much anyone who's gone through the strains of moving to a new place, school etc. in childhood. It doesn't quite ever reach the heights of the 6 films above it, but that's not to fault it at all as it made a big impact for me in 2015, one of the best years for film ever in my opinion.
6. Toy Story
5. Toy Story 3
4. Toy Story 2
I might as well talk about all these three films together. Basically the trilogy as a whole I think is one of the few examples of its kind, that are essentially perfect together. Not that any of them are perfect films, the first one loses a bit of momentum in the midsection, the second one gets a bit too bogged down with the whole Zurg-Buzz Lightyear Double thing which I like but found a BIT grating after a while (though it does generate some absolutely hilarious moments), and the third might rely on the nostalgic sweet spot a bit too much a la The Force Awakens but I digress, I really have to nitpick to find these flaws, and I love all three films about equally for their excellent voice casting and vocal work, the action setpieces (seriously one of the best car chases ever in the first film) as well as never losing that emotional undercurrent to all the laughs ('When She Loved Me' in Toy Story 2). I will say that my favourite is probably, blasphemy, blasphemy, the third because of how much of an emotional wallop its conclusion packs for me as we see Woody, Buzz on their way. Hopefully they won't make another one because the way this trilogy ended was perfect.
3. Monster's Inc.
Sulley and Mike are probably one of my favourite animated duos of all-time. Just aesthetically, tonally, in terms of their odd-couple dynamic, the big hairy lovable beast and the nasally one-eyed green monster are just the perfect match. Watching them in anything is a joy, even in the sub-standard Monsters University and they make a potentially great film like Monster's Inc. great. Just the whole concept of monsters garnering energy through screams is ingenius, and the film milks it for all the laughs it's worth, and in the character of Boo makes it all very heartfelt to boot.
2. The Incredibles
Just a bloody clever and uproarious film. I love it for a great many reasons, among them being: an incredibly clever deconstruction of the superhero genre, ingenious voice casting (Jason Lee as a villain anyone?), brilliant action setpiece after setpiece all very much deliciously tongue-in-cheek, and one of the best comedy scripts in recent memory. It's an incredibly re-watchable film, probably my favourite superhero film of all-time besides The Dark Knight and the fact they haven't made a sequel yet is probably testament to the fact it won't be able to hold a candle to the brilliant original.
1. WALL - E
Though I love The Incredibles there was never any question of which film would come out on top here. Andrew Stanton's WALL-E is a masterpiece. The first half is the stuff of silent movie magic, Chaplin in animated incarnated form, and the second half is almost as good with its implantation of these very characters in a uniquely quirky sci-fi setting that's remarkably intelligent about it all. Essentially a love story merged with a fish-out-of-water story, it has several great rousing moments which I won't spoil for people who haven't seen it, clever sci-fi references, and big laughs and cute sidecharacters, but the best thing by far about it is the central romance between WALL-E and EVE. Nothing much is said, in fact barely anything is said, but the relationship between the two is so beautifully drawn out and consummated by the film's conclusion, making them one of the greatest onscreen couples of all-time.
Perhaps the most consistently innovative directors of modern-day filmmaking, The Coen Brothers have achieved the cinematic holy grail of delving into basically every genre, sub-genre of filmmaking and plumbing each of their depths to find something in alignment with their distinct vision. With Hail, Caesar! coming out this week and hopefully I'll be catching it soon, I bring to you my ranking of all the films of theirs I've seen...
(haven't seen The Man Who Wasn't There)
15. Intolerable Cruelty
Easily the weakest of their films I've seen, and it's testament to their strength as directors that this venture into screwball rom-com territory isn't a complete failure despite me finding the film deeply flawed. The main problem I find with it is that the central pairing of George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't elicit much in the way of romantic, flirty spark, making the film inherently problematic. Beyond that I don't think the script is anything much to speak of, especially by the brothers' standards, but the film is kind of saved by the excellence of some of the supporting players, most notably Geoffrey Rush.
14. The Hudsucker Proxy
The stylized screwball approach again, doesn't quite work here for this tale about an office drone (Tim Robbins) who comes up with the ingenious idea of the hula hoop. Again, the film is greatly let down by this, as the story might actually have worked with a more low-key, wry approach, but nevertheless it's not a bad film at all, in fact, it's mostly alright and occasionally quite entertaining. Most of the entertainment value comes from Bill Cobbs as Moses, the sage elevator man and his entertainingly pseudo-wise asides, and Jennifer Jason Leigh who despite the film being flawed in its screwball approach is quite entertaining in doing her own sort of His Girl Friday routine. Robbins is a likable lead and Paul Newman makes for a decent villain, though I can't help but feel a bit annoyed this was the only collaboration with these two alongside the brothers since it's obvious they could've done a lot more.
13. Burn After Reading
A film with very high heights, as anything involving Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, Richard Jenkins and J.K. Simmons is an absolute hoot here, as this quartet do so much to infuse laugh after uproarious laugh to the proceedings. Pitt, in particular, is exceptional in playing perhaps the most lovably lunk-headed onscreen persona. Everyone else is fine just fine, but on an entirely different wavelength so naturally the film feels a bit disjointed, the script is also fairly muddled in terms of plotting, intentionally so I believe but it holds me back from putting it as a must-see. It's definitely a fun watch though.
12. The Ladykillers
A fairly guilty pleasure for me. I love the original The Ladykillers and while this re-make doesn't hold a torch to the original, I do think it's an enjoyable enough comedy that I thoroughly enjoy watching. Tom Hanks is quite funny (surprisingly) in the lead role, and the supporting cast, though a mixed bag, generally provide much in the way of laughs (particularly with each of their incredibly idiotic murder attempts). It's nothing too substantial and so far as Coen Brothers' re-makes I've seen much better, but I don't mind this film one bit as a sweet little comedy.
11. A Serious Man
Definitely a film that takes a while to grow on you, but worth a watch. The driest, possibly most daring of all their ventures, the whole thing from Michael Stuhlbarg's lead performance to the colour scheme, down to the script and everyone's line deliveries is in such a deadpan, completely disconnected style that it takes a bit of getting used to. I wouldn't consider it one of the brothers' best as it doesn't quite have that rewatchable factor that most of their filmography has, but it faces down some very interesting issues about Jewish identity and is intelligently written, so if you're feeling contemplative, check it out.
10. O Brother, Where Art Thou!
A fun, fun, fun film to watch. Anchored by an entertaining trio of lead performances, what is essentially a 1930's Great Depression-set, Southern retelling of The Odyssey is brought vividly to life by the Coen Brothers. Chock full with funny Southern stereotypes, a great John Goodman cameo and some banging tunes, it's slight but fun in it's slightness. I do think I need a re-watch of it though, and with that it could very easily zoom up this list.
9. Miller's Crossing
The most shamelessly stylized of all their films, this one in vein of a 1930's crime thriller I believe, this is one film that I used to absolutely not take to whatsoever but, with my growing appreciation of the likes of James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson and their films in the 1930's to 1940's, I actually quite love it now. Technically it's not a flawless film as structurally it gets a lot of the climactic stuff over and done with in the first half, leaving the second half to meander about a bit, but still it has some of the best directed Coen Brothers' sequences (the Danny Boy scene, any scene with Jon Polito getting MAD), uniformly solid to good performances (I do like Turturro's divisive performance, I think Albert Finney, Marcia Gay Harden and Gabriel Byrne are great and Polito, exceptional), and every frame is great to look at.
8. The Big Lebowski
My second favourite of their straight comedies, this cult classic is possibly the most quotable of all their films. Jeff Bridges is fan-freaking-tastic as the titular (though he'd rather you not describe him as such) Lebowski who rather ineptly gets involved in some sort of...double-crossing kidnapping-something-something scheme, whatever. Plot, in this film, is mostly irrelevant. What makes it the fantastic watch it is, is just how downright funny everything in it is. John Goodman's fantastic supporting turn as the loudmouth Walter who'll have you know he served in Vietnam and doesn't take too kindly to bowling violations, and who shares some of the best chemistry in any one of the brothers' films with Bridges. The supporting cast too is uniformly solid (with Julianne Moore, Sam Elliot, Steve Buscemi as the most unfortunate third-wheeler friend ever, and John Turturro being particularly worthy of mention), the surreal aesthetic that permeates every scene works incredibly well in making the whole film quite a dreamily enjoyable experience, and the script of course, though lacking in plot, never feels like it is because you're too busy laughing to wonder whether it all makes sense.
7. No Country for Old Men
I have to admit I don't think is the masterpiece that everyone makes it out to be, BUT, that doesn't mean I don't think very highly of it. No, in fact I think it was wholly deserving of its Best Picture win in 2007, and I think that as the years go by this may go up the list as it holds up very well as a film on a very technical level. In that it tells its peculiarly dark story very well, with much less dialogue than per usual, making this an interesting showcase of how restrained the Coens can be as directors when they want to be. Past their uniquely tight-knit style here it's a beautifully shot film, with several great performances (I think Javier Bardem did deserve the win even though Casey Affleck was by far the best of the nominees, but then again category fraud), and several incredibly tense setpieces. There's a streak of dark humour to it, too, that I think I'll grow to appreciate more as the years go by.
6. Raising Arizona
Just a rollicking good time to be had by all. It's weird how Nicolas Cage and the Coens never collaborated after this film as Cage's natural quirks as an actor are so perfectly attuned to their style in Raising Arizona, their finest pure comedy. The concept itself--Cage and Holly Hunter (giving one of her best performances, obviously The Piano is her best but this is her best comedic turn) as a odd couple of ex-convict and police officer who decide to abduct a baby on account of the latter's infertility--is already ripe for laughs, and the Coens certainly go the distance with this by having downright hilarious scenes of Cage stealing diapers and dealing with multiple wailing babies, and Hunter just giving each and every line delivery that lovely sweet tinge. Add to that John Goodman and William Forsythe as two downright trashy yet oddly lovable convicts on the run, a wonderful soundtrack by Carter Burwell, and a surprisingly heartfelt third act, and you have yourself one of the most enjoyable of all the Coens' films.
5. Blood Simple
(NSFW VERY HORRIFYING SCENE)
Blasphemy perhaps to place this ahead of No Country for Old Men but let me explain. I do have a soft spot for these sort of directorial debuts made on low budgets with a grand vision, I mean after all Reservoir Dogs is my favourite Tarantino film (although I'm starting to come round to The Hateful Eight as my top choice). Anyway, Blood Simple is a great example of how sometimes, less is more. I'll get past the main flaw of the film first which is John Getz who, as The Fly also showed, isn't quite the best chap to go to when trying to make an unsympathetic character sympathetic, but at least he doesn't ham it up and is fairly restrained in his blandness. Past him, everyone in the cast is great. Frances McDormand, of course, in her first leading role, is fantastic in giving a realistic reactive performance to all the horrorshow going around her. M. Emmet Walsh is delightfully sleazy and genuinely terrifying as the slithery private investigator Loren Visser on the tail of McDormand and Getz's characters, double-crossing the vindictive, haunted and ultimately very sympathetic Dan Hedaya as the cuckold husband of McDormand. Performances aside, this film's final act is simply put a masterpiece in heightening tension, I would say there are moments in it where the Brothers rival even Alfred Hitchcok at his peak in just making the silver screen tough to watch, and so compelling in this excruciating-ness...if that makes any sense. A brilliant, underseen thriller with a entertaining first act, a fascinatingly contemplative second act, and as mentioned a masterful third act.
4. True Grit
'Pretty bold talk for a one-eyed fat man' and the elicited response is one of those sort of cinematic moments I can't help but love no matter what way it's done, so I guess that might explain why I have a soft spot for the 1969 True Grit and one of the reasons why I absolutely love the 2010 True Grit. The film is divisive and I'm well aware of that, but I personally think it's near-flawless. Jeff Bridges gives another great Coen Brothers leading performance as Rooster Cogburn, a delightfully odd and indulgent delight upon his horse, having so much fun in playing up each aspect of Cogburn's eccentricities, and everyone else matches him perfectly in their delivery of that stylized Wild West dialogue, from Matt Damon to Barry Pepper to Josh Brolin to all the small supporting players and above all, Hailee Steinfield's great lead turn as Mattie, the beating heart and soul of the film. The production design and score are as immaculate as always, there's great detours from the main plot like a bearskin donning doctor who steals the film for the couple minutes he's onscreen, and a great segment involving Jeff Bridges interrogating Domhnall Gleeson that's among the highlights of the film (and also introduced me to Domhnall Gleeson as an actor), and builds up to the aforementioned great finale equal parts rousing and poignant. A great Western of a most unconventional sort.
3. Fargo
Featuring one of the best leading quartet performances of any film, ever, I hate to put Fargo 3rd on this list as I don't feel it quite does it justice, at all. Obviously the first thing to mention about it is how great everything looks in the film, filmed in snowy Minnesota, it all just fits in so well with each plot point. The script itself works wonders around a very simple, basic kidnapping plot to make it compelling thriller stuff at its finest, and never forgets to lace it all with an undercurrent of black humour to make it dually satisfying. I've mentioned how great the lead quartet is, well William H. Macy is the most uncomfortably pathetic sad sack, Jerry, to watch as he haplessly watches his plans spiral out of his control, Frances McDormand is great as the effortlessly perky and incisively intelligent Marge Gunderson, Peter Stormare is the pinnacle of minimalist threat and bone-chilling menace, and at the same time cruelly funny presence, as Gaear Grimsrud, and Steve Buscemi...well I'll wait till another time to discuss him, but his is a performance I originally took for granted but upon re-watches, feel is worthy of examining in even more detail. As always the supporting cast is great, with one scene in particular seemingly inconsequential to the plot one of the masterstrokes that make it so distinct as a masterpiece. Anyway I've digressed too far, a great film, watch it.
2. Barton Fink
I'm thinking of doing something more thorough and in-depth with these two top films so I'll elave off extended thoughts for now. Barton Fink is a marvellous example of the Coen Brothers giving their script their all, the fact they had to use the Miller's Crossing script as a break from writing this one just goes to show how much brainpower and effort went into the making of this even in just the initial stages. Anyway, as films about writing go this is among the best. As someone who's routinely struggling with writer's block and self-awareness about one's fallibility as a storyteller, Barton Fink's (John Turturro) neuroses rang so resonantly me in his desire and drive to create something 'important' and 'true to life' through his boxing picture, and the film conveys this wonderfully through not just dialogue but through some of the most haunting imagery ever captured on film to show the deteriorating mindset of a writer. There's tender little scenes like the exchanges between Fink and Judy Davis' Audrey Taylor, and darkly funny ones like John Goodman's rambunctious Charlie Meadows who's gradually peeled away into something much darker. It's a small film but an incredibly well done one at that, which simply grows upon re-watches, and I'd place it first if not for the best Coen Brother's film, IMO, being one of my all-time personal favourites (though Barton Fink is up there too)...
1. Inside Llewlyn Davis
Just about the perfect film. If I had to pick out a flaw? Um...let me get back to you on that. It's equally hard to pinpoint what exactly makes this film tick the way it does, the obvious thing to mention would be the soundtrack, but that would simplify the reasons for its brilliance too much as it's so much more than just a 'folk music film'. Oscar Issac's magnificent lead performance too, cannot be praised enough, but that would just nullify how uniformly great the supporting cast is, particularly Carey Mulligan and F. Murray Abraham. The cinematography and sound? Impeccable. The production design that recreates the vibes of Greenwich Village so well? Yeah, that's perfect too. The script, which despite having no clear plot thread that stands out, makes what is essentially a week in the life of Llwelyn Davis something you can't take your eyes off, your ears away from? Oh I can't praise this film enough. The Coen Brothers with their grand filmography, have one film that stands out as being a supreme masterpiece, and they have several other masterpieces too, it's just that Inside Llewlyn Davis stands out to me as being their very, very best.
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