Thursday 28 April 2016

Ranking: The Marvel Films

Am I the only one who really wants to see a Nick Fury movie?
In anticipation of Captain America: Civil War coming out tomorrow, my ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films thus far.

P.S. I'm not including them because they were produced by other studios, but in terms of Marvel films not produced by Marvel Studios, I'd rank them:


20. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
19. Fantastic Four (2015)

18. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
17. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
16. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
15. Ghost Rider

14. Hulk
13. Daredevil
12. X-Men: The Last Stand
11. The Amazing Spider-Man
10. Fantastic Four (2005)

(HUGE GAP)
9. Blade
8. X-Men

7. X-Men: First Class
6. Blade II
5. Spider-Man
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past
3. X2

2. Deadpool
1. Spider-Man 2



12. The Incredible Hulk
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.

11. Thor: The Dark World
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.

10. Iron Man 2
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.

9. Thor
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.

8. Avengers: Age of Ultron
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.

7. Ant-Man
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.

6. Iron Man 3
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.

5. Captain America: The First Avenger
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.

4. The Avengers
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.

3. Iron Man
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.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
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.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
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. 

Monday 25 April 2016

Revised: Top 30 Best Actor Performances (thoughts to come soon)

Hon. Mentions: Al Pacino, The Godfather; Joseph Cotten, Shadow of  a Doubt; Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln; Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator; James Mason, Lolita; Donald Sutherland, Ordinary People; Tom Courtenay, Loneliess of the Long-Distance Runner;

For example, some actors I hate to leave off: Tom Hardy (he's officially one of my favourites now, I have loved pretty much every performance of his I've seen, and his greatest performance Locke is very close to making the list, the only thing holding him off this list I guess is his relative youth and the fact I want to see even more of him before making a final decision); Philip Seymour Hoffman (god we miss his screen presence, his performances in The Master, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead and Synedoche New York were all in serious consideration); Tatsuya Nakadai (well I still haven't seen either Kagemusha or Ran yet but I have found him insanely good in everything I've seen him in thus far); Samuel L. Jackson (incredibly close to making the list for Pulp Fiction); Rod Steiger (he really should be on here for  Tom Courtenay (should probably be on here by virtue of either Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner or The Dresser I just kinda left him off here because he'd already made the supporting top 30); Jeremy Irons (he's close for Misery and I really should have a go at Dead Ringers); Charlie Chaplin (someone else who's done nothing but great work throughout his career and who's Great Dictator performance deserves recognition on here); Bob Hoskins (his performances in Mona Lisa and The Long Good Friday are the stuff of cinematic perfection); Donald Sutherland (I HATE leaving him off the list, as far as I'm concerned Don't Look Now and Ordinary People are two of the greatest understated performances of all-time); Gene Hackman (I still haven't seen The Conversation but his great comic performance in The Royal Tennenbaums was awfully close to making the list); Christian Bale (he really should be on here for The Prestige); James Mason (Lolita needs a re-watch that could potentially boost him up here); and individual performances like Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln and There Will Be Blood and Richard Attenborough in Brighton Rock I leave off mostly because the actors have already made the list (though I do make one exception against that rule here)

30.  Christian Bale, The Prestige

29. William Holden, Stalag 17


28. Sidney Poitier, In the Heat of the Night

27. Bruno Ganz, Downfall

26. Laurence Olivier, Rebecca

25. Charles Laughton, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

24. Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront

23. Ian McKellen, Mr Holmes

22. Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

21. John Hurt, The Elephant Man

20. Ernest Borgnine, Marty

19. Jack Nicholson, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

18. Ulrich Mühe, The Lives of Others

17. Alec Guinness, Bridge over the River Kwai

16. Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

15. James Stewart, Vertigo

14. Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewlyn Davis

13. Johnny Depp, Edward Scissorhands

12. F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus

11. Richard Attenborough, 10 Rillington Place

10. Adrien Brody, The Pianist

9. Michael Redgrave, The Browning Version

8. James Cagney, Angels With Dirty Faces

7. Trevor Howard, Outcast of the Islands

6. Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo


5. Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot

4. Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia

3. Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon

2. Takashi Shimura, Ikiru

1. James Stewart, It's a Wonderful Life

Revised 2015 Best Actor Rankings:


  1. Ian McKellen, Mr Holmes
  2. Jacob Tremblay, Room
  3. Matt Damon, The Martian
  4. Tom Hardy, Legend
  5. Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
  6. Michael B. Jordan, Creed
  7. Michael Fassbender, Macbeth 
  8. Jason Bateman, The Gift
  9. Géza Röhrig, Son of Saul
  10. Ben Foster, The Program
  11. Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
  12. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
  13. Tom Hanks, Bridge of Spies 
  14. Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind
  15. Ryan Reynolds, Mississippi Grind
  16. Tom Hardy, Mad Max: Fury Road
  17. Tom Courtenay, 45 Years 
  18. Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
  19. John Cusack, Love & Mercy
  20. Tobey Maguire, Pawn Sacrifice
  21. John Boyega, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  22. Kurt Russell, Bone Tomahawk
  23. Johnny Depp, Black Mass
  24. Al Pacino, Danny Collins
  25. Jesse Eisenberg, The End of the Tour
  26. Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
  27. Domhnall Gleeson, Ex Machina
  28. Joel Edgerton, Black Mass
  29. Paul Rudd, Ant-Man
  30. Patrick Wilson, Bone Tomahawk
  31. Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
  32. Corey Hawkins, Straight Outta Compton
  33. O'Shea Jackson, Straight Outta Compton
  34. Jason Clarke, Everest
  35. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
  36. Jake Gyllenhaal, Southpaw
  37. Daniel Craig, Spectre
  38. Colin Farrell, The Lobster
  39. Dane DeHaan, Life
  40. Henry Cavill, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  41. Armie Hammer, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  42. Tom Cruise, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  43. Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
  44. Harvey Keitel, Youth
  45. Tom Hardy, Child 44
  46. Alex Jennings, The Lady in the Van
  47. Sharlto Copley, Chappie
  48. Tom Hiddleston, Crimson Peak
  49. Robert Pattison, Life
  50. Michael Fassbender, Slow West
  51. Vin Diesel, Fast and Furious 7
  52. James McAvoy, Victor Frankenstein
  53. Will Smith, Concussion
  54. David Thewliss, Anomalisa
  55. Chris Pratt, Jurassic World
  56. Mark Wahlberg, Ted 2
  57. Sean Penn, The Gunman
  58. Bill Hader, Trainwreck
  59. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, The Walk
  60. Jesse Eisenberg, American Ultra
  61. Dev Patel, Chappi
  62. Michael Caine, Youth
  63. Ryan Reynolds, Woman in Gold
  64. Will Smith, Focus
  65. Levi Miller, Pan
  66. Jai Courtney, Terminator Genisys
  67. Daniel Radcliffe, Victor Frankenstein
  68. Miles Teller, Fantastic Four
  69. Nat Wolff, Paper Towns
  70. Channing Tatum, Jupiter Ascending
  71. Johnny Depp, Mortdecai
  72. Thomas Mann, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
  73. Jamie Dornan, Fifty Shades of Grey
  74. Kodi Smit-McPhee, Slow West

Sunday 24 April 2016

Revised List: Top 30 Best Supporting Actor

(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
Who would've thunk it, Stallone making it onto this list? I've watched the film enough times now to be completely assured that I'm doing the right thing in listing Stallone's wonderful iteration of his most famous character here. Extended thoughts here: http://actorvsactor.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/analysis-best-supporting-actor-2015.html

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.



  1. Sylvester Stallone, Creed
  2. Nicholas Hoult, Mad Max: Fury Road
  3. Benicio del Toro, Sicario
  4. Walton Goggins, The Hateful Eight
  5. Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight 
  6. Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
  7. Emory Cohen, Brooklyn
  8. Tom Hardy, The Revenant
  9. Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
  10. Matthias Schoenaerts, Far From the Madding Crowd
  11. Kurt Russell, The Hateful Eight
  12. Michael Sheen, Far From the Madding Crowd
  13. Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk
  14. Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
  15. Tim Roth, The Hateful Eight
  16. Adam Driver, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  17. Bruce Dern, The Hateful Eight
  18. Harrison Ford, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  19. Stanley Tucci, Spotlight
  20. Josh Brolin, Sicario
  21. Tom Noonan, Anomalisa
  22. Matthew Fox, Bone Tomahawk
  23. Liev Schreiber, Spotlight
  24. Michael Keaton, Spotlight
  25. Chiwetel Ejiofor, The Martian
  26. Will Poulter, The Revenant
  27. Brian D'Arcy James, Spotlight
  28. Rory Cochrane, Black Mass
  29. Brendan Gleeson, Suffragette
  30. Joel Edgerton, The Gift
  31. Louis C.K., Trumbo
  32. Domhnall Gleeson, The Revenant
  33. Ben Whishaw, Spectre
  34. Michael Madsen, The Hateful Eight
  35. Sean Bean, The Martian
  36. Peter Sarsgaard, Black Mass
  37. Michael Douglas, Ant-Man
  38. Neal Huff, Spotlight
  39. Jeff Daniels, The Martian
  40. Liev Schreiber, Pawn Sacrifice
  41. Donald Glover, The Martian
  42. David Harbour, Black Mass
  43. Demián Bichir, The Hateful Eight
  44. Michael Pena, Ant-Man
  45. Corey Stoll, Black Mass
  46. Billy Crudup, Spotlight
  47. William H. Macy, Room
  48. Simon Pegg, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
  49. Peter Sarsgaard, Pawn Sacrifice
  50. Kurt Russell, Furious 7
  51. Nathan Jones, Mad Max: Fury Road
  52. W. Earl Brown, Black Mass
  53. Jason Statham, Spy
  54. Mikhail Gorevoy, Bridge of Spies
  55. John Slattery, Spotlight
  56. Oscar Isaac, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  57. Milo Parker, Mr Holmes
  58. Domhnall Gleeson, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  59. Benedict Wong, The Martian
  60. Hugh Keays-Byrne, Mad Max: Fury Road
  61. Taron Egerton, Legend
  62. Jesper Christensen, Spectre
  63. James Parks, The Hateful Eight
  64. Cory Michael Smith, Carol
  65. David Arquette, Bone Tomahawk
  66. Levente Molnár, Son of Saul
  67. John Goodman, Trumbo
  68. Jesse Plemons, Black Mass
  69. Christoph Waltz, Spectre
  70. Paul Anderson, Legend
  71. Domhnall Gleeson, Brooklyn
  72. Lewis Black, Inside Out
  73. Michael Stuhlbarg, Trumbo
  74. Alec Baldwin, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
  75. Kyle Chandler, Carol
  76. David Bautista, Spectre
  77. Jude Law, Spy
  78. Sylvester Groth, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  79. Josh Helman, Mad Max: Fury Road
  80. Jim Broadbent, Brooklyn
  81. Richard Jenkins, Spotlight
  82. Scott Shepherd, Bridge of Spies
  83. Jeremy Renner, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
  84. Ving Rhames, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
  85. Paul Bettany, Legend
  86. Len Cairou, Spotlight
  87. Paul Giamatti, Straight Outta Compton
  88. Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
  89. Giovani Ribisi, Ted 2
  90. Ralph Fiennes, Spectre
  91. Corey Stoll, Ant-Man
  92. Christian Berkel, Trumbo
  93. Daniel Kaluuya, Sicario
  94. Chazz Palminterai, Legend
  95. Sean Bridgers, Room
  96. Hugh Grant, The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  97. Hiroyuki Sanada, Mr Holmes
  98. Nonso Anozie, Cinderella
  99. Colin Morgan, Legend
  100. Christian Berkel, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. 
  101. Sándor Zsóté, Son of Saul
  102. Alec Baldwin, Concussion
  103. Kevin Bacon, Black Mass
  104. Billy Magnussen, Bridge of Spies
  105. Bill Hader, Inside Out
  106. Jeffrey Donovan, Sicario
  107. Patrick Kennedy, Mr Holmes
  108. Michael Peña, The Martian
  109. Jason Statham, Furious 7
  110. Matthias Schoenaerts, The Danish Girl
  111. Justice Smith, Paper Towns
  112. Sebastian Koch, Bridge of Spies
  113. Richard Carter, Mad Max: Fury Road
  114. David Thewlis, Legend
  115. Max Von Sydow, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  116. Will Rogers, Bridge of Spies
  117. Julio Cedillo, Sicario
  118. Christopher Eccleston, Legend
  119. Austin Abrams, Paper Towns
  120. Tony Bellew, Creed
  121. Sebastian Stan, The Martian
  122. Maximiliano Hernández, Sicario
  123. Graham McTavish, Creed
  124. Ben Whishaw, Suffragette
  125. Andrew Scott, Spectre
  126. Askel Hennie, The Martian
  127. John Howard, Mad Max: Fury Road
  128. Morgan Freeman, Ted 2
  129. Alan Alda, Bridge of Spies
  130. Angus Sampson, Mad Max: Fury Road
  131. Sean Harris, Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation
  132. Michael Stuhlbarg, Pawn Sacrifice
  133. Channing Tatum, The Hateful Eight
  134. John Magaro, Carol
  135. Austin Stowell, Bridge of Spies
  136. Andy Serkis, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
  137. Jake Lacy, Carol
  138. David James Elliot, Trumbo
  139. Dean O'Gorman, Trumbo
  140. Tom Sturridge, Far From the Madding Crowd
  141. Eddie Redmayne, Jupiter Ascending
  1. Crimson Peak (3/5)
  2. Steve Jobs (3/5)
  3. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II 
  4. Everest (3/5)
  5. Macbeth (3/5)
  6. Danny Collins (3/5)
  7. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (3/5)
  8. The Lobster (3/5)
  9. American Ultra (3/5)
  10. The Walk (2.5/5)
  11. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2.5/5)
  12. Trainwreck (2.5/5)
  13. The Program (2.5/5)
  14. Life (2.5/5)
  15. Woman in Gold (2.5/5)
  16. Victor Frankenstein (2.5/5)
  17. Pan (2.5/5)
  18. Jurassic World (2.5/5)
  19. Suite Française (2.5/5)
  20. Child 44 (2.5/5)
  21. Focus (2.5/5)
  22. The Gunman (2.5/5)
  23. Slow West (2.5/5)
  24. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl (2.5/5) 
  25. Southpaw (2/5)
  26. Youth (2/5)
  27. Pitch Perfect 2 (1.5/5)
  28. Chappie (1.5/5)
  29. Terminator Genisys (1.5/5)
  30. Mortdecai (1.5/5)
  31. Fantastic Four (1/5)
  32. Fifty Shades of Gray (1/5)
  33. Jupiter Ascending (0)