(A few obvious performances I still need to see. Christopher Walken in
The Deer Hunter, Burt Lancaster in
Sweet Smell of Success, Dana Andrews in
The Ox-Bow Incident, James Dunn in
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a great deal of John Huston's work. I should also note that I really, really want to put Tsutomu Yamazaki in
High and Low on the list but I'll need awhile to decide why exactly he's so effective, is it the role, direction, performance)
(Also, some very honourable mentions: Henry Travers and Lionel Barrymore in
It's a Wonderful Life, Harold Russell in
The Best Years of Our Lives, Daniel Day-Lewis in
A Room With a View, Martin Stephens in
The Innocents, Leonardo DiCaprio in
What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Jeffrey DeMunn and Donald Sutherland in
Citizen X, Max Von Sydow in
The Three Days of Condor, John Cazale in
Dog Day Afternoon, Anthony Quayle in
Ice Cold in Alex, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden and Rod Steiger in
On the Waterfront, Ben Whishaw in
Cloud Atlas, John Cazale in
Dog Day Afternoon, Samuel L. Jackson in
Django Unchained, Barkhad Abdi in
Captain Phillips, Trevor Howard and Orson Welles in
The Third Man and lastly, Burt Lancaster in
Sweet Smell of Success who I'm holding off this list because I'm now definitely leaning far more towards lead than supporting)
30. Javier Bardem,
Skyfall
I'll admit that with regard to Bond films I tend to lose quite a bit of enthusiasm for them upon re-watches, Spectre being a particularly notable example. As an overall film I'm not quite as big on Skyfall as I was before, but one aspect of the film I will say has stayed entirely over time is Javier Bardem's performance as Raoul Silva. I now kind of hate how they've nullified his character's importance by that plot twist in Spectre because of how brilliantly done Bardem's blend of ham and humour, and menace is nailed so perfectly here to make for a very memorable villain.
29. Sessue Hayakawa,
Bridge on the River Kwai
Hayakawa gives a great performance that could have so, so very easily gone into one-dimensional antagonist territory. Hayakawa restrains his performance in unison with Alec Guinness' great portrayal of a career soldier, and in turn makes his Saito an incredibly moving portrayal of a military commander gradually succumbing to a very peculiar form of madness.
28. Rutger Hauer,
Blade Runner
I love
Blade Runner as a film but I'll be the first to admit that for the most part, it's the visuals and the imagination of Ridley Scott which captured me first time round. On re-watches however, what's even more compelling is the performance of Rutger Hauer. It's a technically impeccable performance with the physically imposing presence of an android he brings to his portrayal, but even more impressive is that heartbreaking sense of humanity he brings to Roy Batty that makes that final scene one of the greatest exit scenes in film history.
27. Laurence Olivier,
Marathon Man
Dr Christian Szell might not be as morally complex a villain as the aforementioned three chappies, but I put him above them slightly because Olivier is just so entertaining and yet chilling to watch in an incredibly tricky role. His portrayal of the Nazi doctor manages to be both terrifying in a very subtle, restrained sort of way, while also being suitably realsitic, and even managing to derive a bit of dark humour from his character's complete lack of remorse.
26. Michael Clarke Duncan,
The Green Mile
A bit of a break from villains. Duncan is perfectly cast as John Coffey, but I refuse to let that take away from his performance. He gives a heartfelt portrayal of this very unique, mystical figure and manages to turn a potentially paper-thin stereotype into a most magical depiction of a man lifting the sins of the world upon his broad soldiers, and represents kindness in its truest, most genuine form.
25. David Carradine,
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Carradine gets one hell of a buildup to his performance here in the first
Kill Bill and he certainly does not disappoint. In fact, he exceeds expectations as he doesn't play Bill as simply a villainous foil for the Bride to take her revenge upon, He makes Bill every bit the soulful, charismatic and jealousy-consumed individual who earns the dramatic finale of this second installment through his compelling performance which only grows on re-watches,
24. George C. Scott/Sterling Hayden,
Dr Strangelove
Yeah, I know, I'm cheating here, big-time. Anyway, both Scott and Hayden give one-note, but incredibly funny one-notes of hilarity in such different ways that work equally well in making
Dr Strangelove the masterpiece in dark comedy it is. Sure, Kubrick might have had a great deal of input into how these performances played out, but it's still them giving the great performances.
23. Tom Courtenay,
Dr Zhivago
A deceptively brief performance that really takes re-watches to fully appreciate. Courtenay gives a spine-tingling breakout performance here as Pasha Antipov, beginning with an infectious amount of enthusiasm and youthful idealism, which is masterfully warped into disillusionment and culminates with a terrific final scene.
22. Robert Duvall,
Apocalypse Now
I don't actually love
Apocalypse Now that much, it's a bit of a meandering film at points and I certainly don't feel it's as great as many build it up to be. Nevertheless I cannot deny the greatness of one aspect of the film I love, Duvall's performance as the deranged madman Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, who is by far the most fascinating character in the film. His physical portrayal of the always in command, always imposing, manical embodiment of a man made by war is brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
21. Mark Strong,
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Extended thoughts here:
http://actorvsactor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/head-to-head-tinker-tailor-soldier-spy.html. Strong gives a brilliant reactionary performance. Jim Prideaux is a great character and in Strong's hands, is both haunting and heart-rending in showing a tortured, mentally strained yet beautifully soulful man with one true care in life.
20. Christopher Walken,
Seven Psychopaths
Yes, I really should see
The Deer Hunter. Anyway, Walken's performance here was such a pleasant surprise for me, as was the film itself. In a magnificent year for supporting performances (Walken, Whishaw, Bardem, Jackson and Dwight Henry/Sam Rockwell depending on my mood for the day, being a very strong top 5), and in a great ensemble Walken is the greatest. He's an absolute hoot whenever utilisng his very distinct Walken-isms to generate wry laughs, lends so much emotional weight to its more serious moments, and his final delivery of the Vietnamese Monk monologue just gets me every time. A magnificent performance, and it intrigues me when people tell me, this isn't even his best supporting performance.
19. Omar Sharif,
Lawrence of Arabia
Sharif's performance in
Lawrence of Arabia is one perfect supporting performance. The film is Peter O'Toole's performance through and through, and that Sharif manages to make any sort of impact would be impressive in his own right. That within the margins of the film he manages to craft an incredibly moving friendship with Lawrence, and show a unique arc in reverse of Lawrence's that only amplifies the film's greatness, is most certainly something to behold.
18. J.K. Simmons,
Whiplash
Simmons has a great role here and boy does he know it. Terence Fletcher is one magnificent bastard and Simmons relishes in the opportunity to bark juicy, juicy lines like 'Now are you a rusher, or are you a dragger or are you gonna be on my fucking time?' with all the pulsating energy they warrant. There's never a tonal whiplash between the film's darkly humorous, darkly dramatic and even ultimately uplifting moments because of Simmon's brilliant handling of Fletcher as a man with the exterior of a monster, but who utilises it for very human reasons.
17. 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.
16. Steve Buscemi,
Fargo
After Buscemi's performance in
Fargo I've noticed a lot of films trying to ape his sort of character, the fast-talking reprehensible, ratty bastard who's not quite the Big Bad but thinks he is. Well first time's usually the best and Buscemi is one marvelously sleazy bag of sleaze here as Carl, a wannabe professional crook who's anything but cut out for it. Buscemi revels in the stupidity of Carl in a humorous fashion, the criminal and egotistic side in a terrifically realistic fashion, and even manages to make his increasingly problematic situation somewhat sympathetic by making Carl Showalter one of the most pathetic criminals in cinematic history, and that's praise.
15. Sylvester Stallone,
Creed
14. Edward G. Robinson,
Double Indemnity
How on earth was the biggest G in all film history, Edward G. Robinson, NEVER nominated for an Oscar? Inconceivable! Anyway, out of a long career of a great many turns, many of the criminal variety, Robinson's best performance came as Barton Keyes, the good to Barbara Stanwyck's marvellous
femme fatale turn and Fred MacMurray's morally ugly counterpoint. It's a fantastic, talky performance that is a wonderfully entertaining scene-stealer as well as a very moving depiction of a lovely friendship with MacMurray's Walter Neff.
13. Christopher Lloyd,
Back to the Future
There are some roles which actors were just born to play, and Christopher Lloyd and Doctor Emmett Brown are one example of such a wonderful, perfect unison. Lloyd is one of the most memorable aspects of one of the greatest movies of all-time, and I love watching his fun, joyous and incredibly endearing performance as much as I love watching the film, it's a masterclass in how to play the 'mad scientist' routine with the right amount of laughs, heart and pure, unbridled energy.
12. Richard Jordan,
Gettysburg
Gettysburg is an incredible film, one I'm half-tempted to give my 1993 win to, and it's a spectacle in more ways than one. There's that beautiful score of course, the sheer scope and grandeur of its depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the depiction of the complex relationships between both sides of the Civil War. Amongst all these excellently drawn conflicts and wonderful performances is the incredible work of Richard Jordan as Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead. Going into the film I was expecting to hate the Confederate side and see them all as villains. That's certainly not the case here. Jordan gives a great performance as a man conflicted by his duties as a general and his friendship with a man on the enemy's side. He brings to life both the heroic valour of the soldier and also the tender love for his friends. His final scene is also one of the saddest in all film history: 'Not both of us, not all of us!'
11. Anthony Hopkins,
Silence of the Lambs
A performance so influential and iconic it's easy to diminish its brilliance. Extended thoughts here (
http://actorvsactor.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/head-to-head-hannibal-lecter-onscreen.html), but this is a fantastic performance that makes not even the main villain of the film its most memorable centrepiece. Hopkins takes one big risk with Hannibal Lecter here and boy does it pay off.
10. Gary Oldman,
Leon the Professional
Question: Who loves this performance?
Answer: EVERYOOOOONE
The pure pill-popping evil of Norman Stansfield is probably the most intense performance in all of film history. 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.
9. Robert Shaw,
Jaws
Came for the shark, stayed for the Shaw. Shaw's performance as Quint in one of the greatest thrillers of all-time must be seen to be believed. One of the greatest actors of all-time, no matter what the role Shaw had this incredible screen presence he brought to each of his roles whether it was his nuanced leading turns in The Caretaker and The Hireling or his entertaining supporting turns in Robin and Marian, The Sting and of course, this. Shaw just is this man of the sea, he exudes this ambiance of Quint as a man with one thing on his mind, and that's hunting sharks, and gives a brilliantly stylized portrayal that is both supremely entertaining and powerful.
8. Dennis Hopper,
Blue Velvet
Perhaps I spoke too soon in calling Oldman's performance the most intense of all-time because Hopper's pretty darn intense here too. Frank Booth is one man who can most certainly said to have no scruples whatsoever about any of his evil deeds. His reprehensible to the max and it's Dennis Hopper, of course he can do that, and never has evil been portrayed in such a searing, unsavory fashion. The unforgettable quality of Hopper's performance here is that he never shies away from the ugly aspects of what psychologically crafts this man's mindset into how it is, and like his unrepentant character Hopper gives an unsparing performance that lingers long after watching the film.
7. Christoph Waltz, Inglorious Basterds
Hans Landa is one of the greatest villains in film history. Impossible to cast almost and Tarantino should count his blessings every day for having managed to find Christoph Waltz for the role. There are no words that can describe how much Waltz dominates every frame of the film he's in. Whenever he's offscreen, the film suffers a bit, and it's a great film, and the scenes which he's not in are still largely great, it's just that whenever he's in a scene he finds a little something to add to it, whether it be a chilling facial expression, a witty line delivery, or just a palatable menace or intrigue he adds to the scene, as well as perfectly portraying how Landa's always on the prowl, always on the search for something.
6. Ralph Richardson,
The Heiress
I would argue the supporting performance in Oscar history that most deserved to win, that didn't win. Richardson had such a natural grace on camera that shone through even if the quality of the roles were somewhat lacking. Whenever he had something with a little bit more substance he'd excel, and when he got a role like Dr Sloper in
The Heiress...he would knock it out of the ballpark. Richardson is pitch perfect in his whole manner of the highly intelligent doctor, always ready at hand with some barbed, coldly incisive comment to make towards his daughter and her prospective fiancee. His disgust and distaste for the younger generation is only matched by his conflicting love for his deceased wife that helps bring about some of the greatest confrontational scenes in all of film history with Olivia de Havilland. Simply put a performance that's the best of its kind.
5. John Goodman,
Barton Fink
1991 Supporting is oh so competitive a category for me, but Goodman's performance at least is a very worthy winner over Hopkins for me. His Charlie Meadows stands as the crowning achievement of a great career with many great performances and great collaborations with the Coen Brothers. It's a fascinating character study of a character who seems like he's going to be the usual lovable sidekick we've grown accustomed to for Goodman and he perfectly nails this very particular sort of affection and avuncular joviality Meadows offers to Barton Fink (John Turturro). Then as the film's revelations come about he's magnificent in deconstructing it all to the bone. A great performance and quite possibly the greatest of all Coen Brothers performances.
4. Heath Ledger,
The Dark Knight
The greatest villain of all-time and I was wrong to ever take this performance for granted. Ledger's tragic death is one of the greatest 'what could have beens' and this performance encapsulates a side to his talents we never got to really see beyond well, this performance, but oh what a crowning achievement it is. He's unrecognisable with that peculiar voice, that strange way of walking, moving, just doing anything in a given scene, how he licks his chops, and above all his fascinating portrayal of the Joker's uniquely demented mindset. It's an incredibly daring performance that has never been surpassed before and after in terms of just how unique it is as a great performance. I love Ledger's portrayal of the Joker and I've yet to find someone who doesn't at least like the sheer scope, talent and daring involved in this performance.
3. Martin Landau,
Ed Wood
1994 was such a great year for film. I'll talk about that more in a future post but just to list a few of the great films that came out, Forrest Gump, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Ed Wood, Leon the Professional, anyway in terms of the supporting category at the Oscars it must've been a pain for voters to choose between Samuel L. Jackson as Jules Winnfield, and Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi. Well, maybe not. As much as I love Jackson's performance (he's my win in Lead, which is where I put him), Landau's portrayal of the horror legend is really the stuff of myths and legends. Landau doesn't play Bela, he lives Bela. It's so much more than just an impeccable mimicry of the man, which it is, but within the icon Landau instills so much comedy, pathos, tragedy to make an indelible presence as a man who finds new life through Ed Wood's passion.
2. John Cazale,
The Godfather Part II
One of the greatest what-ifs of all filmdom. What if John Cazale had never passed away so early? We'll never really know. But at least we have his great performances to look back on and see what a talent he was. His chilling performance as a loose canon in
Dog Day Afternoon and of course his incredibly memorable portrayal of the 'stupid' brother of the Corleones, Fredo, in the second Godfather film. Fredo's idiocy and general failure to comprehend what the hell is going on in the world around him is movingly detailed by Cazale's sensitive portrayal of a man trying to make himself into a 'somebody' at a tragic cost to his family and his life. It's one of those great performances which builds up to of course, a great climactic scene, but beyond that also stands as a grand achievement in making an incredibly poignant impact in one of the greatest performances of all-time.
1. John Hurt,
10 Rillington Place
What can I say about this performance besides the fact that it is pure perfection. 10 Rillington Place is a film I have grown from greatly admiring to absolutely loving, although loving might be the wrong word, as it's such a cruel, unsparing film that really hits one in the gut feelings of horror and sadness. I'll talk more about Richard Attenborough's great performance as the murderer John Reginald Christie in the next post, but here I'll discuss Hurt. Now firstly, Hurt I believe has been considered by some to be lead in the film. Now though I personally consider him supporting, even if he were placed in lead for me he'd still be in my top 10 of all-time. Now one of the most intelligent aspects of 10 Rillington Place is the complexity it gives to the victims of Christie. His wife, one of his tenant's wife, even the bit-part player in the opening scene, and the baby, are all given tenderly developed characterizations that make their exits incredibly affecting.
Then we have Timothy John Evans. The masterstroke of the writing behind the performance, and of course Hurt's performance itself, is that Evans is never cheated in his characterization as an intrinsically sympathetic character. He's a very average joe in terms of social status, and decidedly below average in terms of intelligence, and Hurt brilliantly never sugercoats this by making Timothy Evans rather slow on the uptake in terms of understanding the world around him, and comprehending people. He also suggests an insecurity and pride within him that's also never shied away from, as Hurt also delves into one of the attributes of Evans that ultimately may have cost him his life, his lack of censure when talking about himself and occasionally making up tall stories to make up for his lack of intellectual capacity and social status. Now it would be easy enough to make Evans a one-note lout who can't do anything right but come on, it's John Hurt. He also suggests a great deal of intimacy and love for his onscreen wife and child, and makes their family relationship, though filled with arguments and tensions like all families do, heartwarming and genuine.
Having established the personality of Evans perfectly, Hurt's performance then becomes reactionary in the best possible way. His wife's decision to take an abortion at the hands of Christie infuses him with doubts and uncertainty which is marvellously portayed; and even that's nothing compared to his reaction at the death of his wife. Hurt's performance is the most emotionally draining performance in all of film history and he's so hard to watch because he's so great. The grief Timothy Evans feels at seeing his beloved in a lifeless state is great as he merges a confusion with a gradually growing awareness of what terrible thing has just occured. It's rare to see such an unhinged, emotional portrayal of grief on camera and it hurts just to watch Hurt displays such unbridled grief through his performance. Things do not get better for Evans as he is strung along by Christie to effectively become a fall-guy for his crimes.
Now Attenborough and Hurt share a very particular something in their scenes together that isn't chemistry, but not exactly anti-chemistry either, more of a manipulative 'friend'ship (though Christie most certainly is not a friend of any sort). Hurt plays Evans as just so hopelessly lost in all of this mess and unable to find his way out of a situation he digs himself deeper and deeper into. This culminates in the most tragic ending to any film character in film history. Evans firstly finds out that his daughter too has been murdered (although unaware that it is by the hand of Christie). In a manner of seconds Hurt perfectly shows how this news almost sucks the soul out of him forever through his heartbreaking reaction. Then as he valiantly fails to defend himself and is ultimately sentenced to hang Hurt is so brutally realistic in his depiction of a man more sinned against than sinning, and shows a disbelief and sadness mixed with almost a desire to die for having lost all his beloved ones, showing that for all his faults Timothy Evans was a good man at heart. This is an amazing performance that just gets better the more I think about it, and I have no qualms calling it the greatest supporting performance of all-time, and a perfect summation of what makes John Hurt one of my top 5 favourite actors of all-time.
- Sylvester Stallone, Creed
- Nicholas Hoult, Mad Max: Fury Road
- Benicio del Toro, Sicario
- Walton Goggins, The Hateful Eight
- Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight
- Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
- Emory Cohen, Brooklyn
- Tom Hardy, The Revenant
- Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
- Matthias Schoenaerts, Far From the Madding Crowd
- Kurt Russell, The Hateful Eight
- Michael Sheen, Far From the Madding Crowd
- Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
- Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
- Tim Roth, The Hateful Eight
- Adam Driver, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Bruce Dern, The Hateful Eight
- Harrison Ford, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Stanley Tucci, Spotlight
- Josh Brolin, Sicario
- Tom Noonan, Anomalisa
- Matthew Fox, Bone Tomahawk
- Liev Schreiber, Spotlight
- Michael Keaton, Spotlight
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Martian
- Will Poulter, The Revenant
- Brian D'Arcy James, Spotlight
- Rory Cochrane, Black Mass
- Brendan Gleeson, Suffragette
- Joel Edgerton, The Gift
- Louis C.K., Trumbo
- Domhnall Gleeson, The Revenant
- Ben Whishaw, Spectre
- Michael Madsen, The Hateful Eight
- Sean Bean, The Martian
- Peter Sarsgaard, Black Mass
- Michael Douglas, Ant-Man
- Neal Huff, Spotlight
- Jeff Daniels, The Martian
- Liev Schreiber, Pawn Sacrifice
- Donald Glover, The Martian
- David Harbour, Black Mass
- Demián Bichir, The Hateful Eight
- Michael Pena, Ant-Man
- Corey Stoll, Black Mass
- Billy Crudup, Spotlight
- William H. Macy, Room
- Simon Pegg, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
- Peter Sarsgaard, Pawn Sacrifice
- Kurt Russell, Furious 7
- Nathan Jones, Mad Max: Fury Road
- W. Earl Brown, Black Mass
- Jason Statham, Spy
- Mikhail Gorevoy, Bridge of Spies
- John Slattery, Spotlight
- Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Milo Parker, Mr Holmes
- Domhnall Gleeson, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Benedict Wong, The Martian
- Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max: Fury Road
- Taron Egerton, Legend
- Jesper Christensen, Spectre
- James Parks, The Hateful Eight
- Cory Michael Smith, Carol
- David Arquette, Bone Tomahawk
- Levente Molnár, Son of Saul
- John Goodman, Trumbo
- Jesse Plemons, Black Mass
- Christoph Waltz, Spectre
- Paul Anderson, Legend
- Domhnall Gleeson, Brooklyn
- Lewis Black, Inside Out
- Michael Stuhlbarg, Trumbo
- Alec Baldwin, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
- Kyle Chandler, Carol
- David Bautista, Spectre
- Jude Law, Spy
- Sylvester Groth, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
- Josh Helman, Mad Max: Fury Road
- Jim Broadbent, Brooklyn
- Richard Jenkins, Spotlight
- Scott Shepherd, Bridge of Spies
- Jeremy Renner, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
- Ving Rhames, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
- Paul Bettany, Legend
- Len Cairou, Spotlight
- Paul Giamatti, Straight Outta Compton
- Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
- Giovani Ribisi, Ted 2
- Ralph Fiennes, Spectre
- Corey Stoll, Ant-Man
- Christian Berkel, Trumbo
- Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario
- Chazz Palminterai, Legend
- Sean Bridgers, Room
- Hugh Grant, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
- Hiroyuki Sanada, Mr Holmes
- Nonso Anozie, Cinderella
- Colin Morgan, Legend
- Christian Berkel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
- Sándor Zsóté, Son of Saul
- Alec Baldwin, Concussion
- Kevin Bacon, Black Mass
- Billy Magnussen, Bridge of Spies
- Bill Hader, Inside Out
- Jeffrey Donovan, Sicario
- Patrick Kennedy, Mr Holmes
- Michael Peña, The Martian
- Jason Statham, Furious 7
- Matthias Schoenaerts, The Danish Girl
- Justice Smith, Paper Towns
- Sebastian Koch, Bridge of Spies
- Richard Carter, Mad Max: Fury Road
- David Thewlis, Legend
- Max Von Sydow, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Will Rogers, Bridge of Spies
- Julio Cedillo, Sicario
- Christopher Eccleston, Legend
- Austin Abrams, Paper Towns
- Tony Bellew, Creed
- Sebastian Stan, The Martian
- Maximiliano Hernández, Sicario
- Graham McTavish, Creed
- Ben Whishaw, Suffragette
- Andrew Scott, Spectre
- Askel Hennie, The Martian
- John Howard, Mad Max: Fury Road
- Morgan Freeman, Ted 2
- Alan Alda, Bridge of Spies
- Angus Sampson, Mad Max: Fury Road
- Sean Harris, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
- Michael Stuhlbarg, Pawn Sacrifice
- Channing Tatum, The Hateful Eight
- John Magaro, Carol
- Austin Stowell, Bridge of Spies
- Andy Serkis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Jake Lacy, Carol
- David James Elliot, Trumbo
- Dean O'Gorman, Trumbo
- Tom Sturridge, Far From the Madding Crowd
- Eddie Redmayne, Jupiter Ascending
- Crimson Peak (3/5)
- Steve Jobs (3/5)
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II
- Everest (3/5)
- Macbeth (3/5)
- Danny Collins (3/5)
- The Diary of a Teenage Girl (3/5)
- The Lobster (3/5)
- American Ultra (3/5)
- The Walk (2.5/5)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2.5/5)
- Trainwreck (2.5/5)
- The Program (2.5/5)
- Life (2.5/5)
- Woman in Gold (2.5/5)
- Victor Frankenstein (2.5/5)
- Pan (2.5/5)
- Jurassic World (2.5/5)
- Suite Française (2.5/5)
- Child 44 (2.5/5)
- Focus (2.5/5)
- The Gunman (2.5/5)
- Slow West (2.5/5)
- Me and Earl and The Dying Girl (2.5/5)
- Southpaw (2/5)
- Youth (2/5)
- Pitch Perfect 2 (1.5/5)
- Chappie (1.5/5)
- Terminator Genisys (1.5/5)
- Mortdecai (1.5/5)
- Fantastic Four (1/5)
- Fifty Shades of Gray (1/5)
- Jupiter Ascending (0)
Not an awful film, I mean compared to something like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 it's an absolute masterpiece, but I can't say it's all that much more of an improvement over the Ang Lee effort. The Hulk himself looks much better through the CGI used but the setpieces are overall uninspired, as is the direction and Edward Norton's performance, and they waste a perfectly decent Tim Roth villainous performance by turning him into an abomination of an Abomination in the third act.
Again, not a bad film at all, just a bit on the bland side. Those goblin looking villains were easily some of the forgettable ones in recent memory, there's WAY too many comic relief characters, I've never really liked the nead to have Natalie Portman's bland Jane as a love interest when you have a much more interesting character in the form of Lady Sif to play that role, and I'm not the biggest Thor fan frankly. There's some good Loki stuff though as always, and it's competently made.
Now this is a film with some SERIOUS flaws. Even for a Marvel Universe film there's WAY too much setting up for future installments here, as well as the problem of having too many villains, to many different plot threads, too many things going on, also like its predecessor it has the problem of not having a particularly engaging third act or villain to make for a satisfying climax. The comic bits are all well done though thanks especially to Sam Rockwell's turn as Justin Hammer, and at least War Machine gets something to do here.
Firstly, I always find it odd that Kenneth Branagh of all people directed this, you really can't tell at all from just watching the film. Anyway, this is a fun enough film with Hemsworth making for a charismatic enough hero. The film reaches greatness in several very specific moments involving, you guessed it, Loki, but otherwise it's fairly bog standard, although not in a bad way, and is certainly watchable if unremarkable.
A film with some really good moments and some really poor ones, as well as some...unfortunate circumstances surrounding it. X-Men: Days of Future Past being released before it meant that several elements that might've seemed quite cool and original just felt a bit tired and uninspired. It has several BIG tonal errors, like making Ultron almost too wacky a villain at certain points, and having a needlessly inserted romance between Black Widow and the Hulk. Nevertheless there's still a lot to admire about it from the upgrading of Hawkeye from resident bore to everyman badass, the excellent conception of Vision as a character, and the as expected, well-done action sequences.
I probably like this film a lot more than I should. It's a big 'What If' thinking about how this film would've turned out had Edgar Wright had full control of the film from start to finish, but I digress. It's fun enough for what it is, and I like it a great deal for its positive elements: Paul Rudd and Michael Douglas making for a particularly delightful pair of Ant-Men, some incredibly inspired setpieces like that toy trainset fight scene, and the overall breezy tone I really liked, which all made for an enjoyable experience, although the villain in this instance is particularly bland.
Lame third act villain aside (Guy Pearce please do more stuff like Animal Kingdom and The Rover, please) and maybe some quibbles with the whole idea of remote control Iron Man suits, and also the shortchanging of War Machine as a character, I liked Iron Man 3 quite a bit. This Shane Black-Robert Downey Jr. collaboration doesn't nearly reach the heights of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but it's got a fairly snappy script, some interesting deconstructive and rather daring elements, and though many have complained we spend too much time with Tony Stark out of his suit I don't half mind that because it involves more Downey Jr. fun, which is always a good thing. Also Ben Kingsley, though I won't go into too much for people who still haven't seen it, gives a (rarity for his recent work) genuinely inspired turn as the Mandarin which goes places you might not expect, but which I thoroughly enjoyed watching myself.
Cheesy, old-fashioned superhero thrills, to be sure, but I thoroughly liked it for what it was. I actually love anything in the film involving Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and the Howling Commandos as I feel a whole film could be made about them combining as a team fighting Nazis, and could've used a lot more of them working together. The central romance between Rogers and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is also really lovely without being too cloying, and of course Chris Evans begins his journey as the Cap, bringing the perfect amount of boyish enthusiasm and defiant conviction to the role that makes you want to root for him so strongly. Again, the villains are lacking, but I don't mind so much as the film isn't about them, it's about the First Avenger and his journey to realizing the hero contained within the heroic spirit he always had in him, and I like it just for that.
A really fun ensemble experience overall that manages to not only juggle seven heroes together but makes each and every one of them (well, except Hawkeye) stand out particularly well in the action scenes. It's just an excellently directed venture from Joss Whedon and also very snappily written for the comic scenes, with the banter between Iron Man and Loki, Iron Man and Captain America resonating particularly well. The dramatic elements are a bit more of a mixed bag, but lifting that side of proceedings up as always is Tom Hiddleston doing his Loki schtick. Please give this man some good Hollywood roles, please.
The only real qualm I have with this film is that it really doesn't have a good enough villain to build up to its final act. Jeff Bridges is fine but Obadiah Stane's just not that interesting a character, but in all fairness the film more than makes up for a lacking villain by just being all-round fun to watch otherwise. Downey Jr. plays the role he was born to play to (as expected) perfection in his scenes of charisma, snark and genius in building up the persona of both Tony Stark and the Iron Man, but I think people often neglect the even more impressive side of his performance besides all the Gwenyth Paltrow bantering, his dramatic scenes of imprisonment by the terrorist group Ten Rings. Besides Downey Jr. the film also has a lot else going for it from the cool gadgets and gimmickry involved with the Iron Man suit and some pretty interesting delving into anti-war themes.
I quite love this installment in the Captain America series and it's one of the big reasons I'm so excited for Civil War. The Russo brothers take elements of 70's Cold War thrillers like The Three Days of Concord (oh hello there Robert Redford), and merges it with superhero tropes we've grown accustomed to, to make for a surprisingly fresh entry into the Marvel universe. Firstly, Chris Evans simply has grown into the role of Cap perfectly; he's just such an engaging lead to watch. He has some fantastic chemistry with both Scarlett Johnasson's Black Widow and Anthony Mackie's Falcoln, the conspiracy thriller plot they follow is consistently engaging, and in terms of action scenes it really hits the heights with that highway fight scene in particular a standout. It's a film I really can't state anything I dislike about it, despite being well aware it's not at all perfect.
Fantastic film that's unlike any other Marvel film, and that might be one of the reasons I took to it as much as I did. It did not feel formulaic or a Marvel universe 'set-up' film in the slightest, due to it being set in an entirely different dimension. Well this new world built up by James Gunn and Kevin Feige is bonkers fun. There's just so much detail found in every frame and make every re-watch even more interesting. Our titular heroes are fun to watch because they're charming without being cloying, fun but properly badass in the right moments, and some pretty daring casting that pays off perfectly, with David Bautista's Groot and Michael Rooker's Yondu being particular standouts, the voice work of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel being absolute perfection, and Chris Pratt making for one fine likable lead. The villains are okay, but to be frank I never once minded that they were nothing beyond being fairly menacing. Because the film as a whole is just one great, fun thrill ride that earns every laugh, every moving moment, and every rousing scene even if there are a few plot holes and overly swift character development moments here and there. 
