Saturday 9 September 2017

Alternate Best Actor 1935: Edward G. Robinson in The Whole Town's Talking and Results

Edward G. Robinson did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Arthur Ferguson Jones and "Killer" Mannion in The Whole Town's Talking.

The Whole Town's Talking is a rather enjoyable screwball comedy about a mild mannered clerk being mistaken for a hard edged gangster.

The Whole Town's Talking offers Edward G. Robinson the chance to go far out of his type, but also play right into it. The out of it type is in the role of the clerk Arthur Ferguson Jones whose main worry at the beginning of the film is just getting to work on time. As usual Robinson proves his measure in yet another type of role here. I've covered him in somewhat meek roles before in his film noirs with Fritz Lang, but this is step away from those roles even. Robinson isn't just meek here he's hilariously meek. Robinson's great though in that he's not playing a guy who is pained in any way due to his modest nature, it's just the way he is. Robinson is delightful in throwing himself fully into playing the role to a tee with every little mannerisms, from his slight smile, to his unassuming physical posture, that just emphasize how much of a harmless man Jones is. There's even a particularly enjoyable scene early on where Jones attempts to fashion a more normalized Edward G. Robinson look, and Robinson is great in portraying Jones awkwardly attempting to contort his face into his normal gangster expression. Robinson though is wonderful though by just how endearing he makes everything about Jones, in just how earnest his depiction of every one of those mannerisms are. There's nothing difficult about them in Robinson's approach, they just are the normal behavior of this sweet clerk.

Unfortunately for Jones he happens to look just like the gangster "Killer" Mannion, which leads him to be arrested early on though eventually released when the mix up discovered. Now after some rather amusing moments from Robinson depicting first an abject terror then an abject joy due to first the mix up then random boons due to the mix up we run into Robinson's second performance. The evil Killer Mannion first appearing deep in shadow there at Jones's apartment to exploit the mix up for himself in order to commit crimes more easily. Now Robinson obviously should be more comfortable as Mannion given this sort of role is how he became a star to begin with, and to be sure he's very comfortable in the role, however this isn't just a copy of Little Caesar here. Robinson actually purposefully overplays the role a tad, in a good way, in that he sort of does a Edward G. Robinson parody type of gangster performance as Mannion. This could be a bit much, but it's just right for the tone of the film. You of course have to still take him seriously as Robinson is always menacing whenever he wishes to be, yet he keeps Mannion from being a downer on the fun by accentuating his typical mannerisms a tad. Robinson finds the right balance as he does make Mannion a genuine threat, yet he's still funny as well by being such an obvious gangster even when he's pretending to be Jones.

Many of the highlight scenes of the film are of Robinson acting against Robinson, this being a fairly early example of the single actor sharing chemistry with himself. He has a real way of acting terrifying while acting terrified at the same time, or acting vicious and gentle at the same time. Robinson has a great deal of fun in every one of these scenes developing a rather amusing dynamic with himself as Mannion misuses the poor clerk. Eventually though the best Robinson scene though does come alone when the meek Jones must pretend to be the tough gangster in order to save himself and his friends. Robinson is sort of outstanding in this sequence as he effectively portrays a struggle just to play his usual part in a most entertaining fashion. The best part being without a doubt when Jones has to brandish a Tommy gun himself and fires at Mannion's henchmen. Robinson is downright hilarious in portraying Jones almost crying as he shoots the gun, and wrenching in fear as he attempts to be menacing even for a moment. This is yet another terrific performance from Edward G. Robinson as he excels at not just one but two types of roles in this screwball comedy.
Updated Lead Overall
Updated Supporting Overall

Next Year: 1949 Lead

46 comments:

Anonymous said...

Louis: Rating and thoughts on:
Boris Karloff in The Black Room
James Cagney in G Men
Fredric March in The Dark Angel
Claude Rains in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Robert Donat in The Ghost Goes West
Peter Lorre in Mad Love
Fred MacMurray in Alice Adams
Lionel Barrymore in Public Hero No. 1

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your Female Top tens with ratings and other 4+ Performances.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you re-watch Bride Of Frankenstein for Karloff or have you settled on his rating.

Anonymous said...

Charles Heiston: Great performance by Robinson.

Louis: Where would this rank among his best work.

Luke Higham said...

Ryan
Hernandez
Howard Vernon - Le Silence De La Mer
David Farrar - The Small Back Room
Richard Conte - Thieves' Highway
Burt Lancaster - Criss Cross
Denjiro Okochi - Mr. Shosuke Ohara

RatedRStar said...

Robert Ryan - The Set Up
David Farrar - The Small Back Room
Edward G Robinson - House Of Strangers (Won Cannes Best Actor)
Anton Wolbrook - The Queen Of Spades
James Mason - Caught

Special Review - William Bendix in The Babe Ruth Story

Hernandez is definitely supporting.

RatedRStar said...

Intruder in the Dust is definitely about Hernandez but he only appears sporadically, most of the time it is the mostly dull David Brian that leads the film.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: You left out the Husbands And Wives cast out of the 1992 supporting overall.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: What do you consider to be the 10 worst Oscar snubs in the following categories?-

Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Original Song
Best Original Screenplay
Best Adapted Screenplay

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your rating for Tilda Swinton in Adaptation.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: And Broken Flowers.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 20 acting moments of Sam Rockwell, George C. Scott and Tom Courtenay.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your thoughts on the " You betrayed the law" scene from Judge Dredd.

Calvin Law said...

Howard Vernon - Le Silence De La Mer
David Farrar - The Small Black Room (though I'm not sure if he's 1952 or 1949. He's brilliant though.)
Robert Donat - The Ghost Goes West
Anton Walbrook - The Queen of Spades

Calvin Law said...

Louis: what do you think of The Shape of Water's Oscar chances? Because it's been getting a LOT of acclaim. I could see Hawkins, as well as Ronan for Lady Bird, becoming the two main contenders actually.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Karloff - 4(As per usual Karloff is just a delight in any role and was one of the most magnetic actors from the period, it's really shame he was pegged as genre actor as a lead only since Karloff really had the measure. Here Karloff gets to have all sorts of fun in the dual roles himself first as the ever so nice brother with a handicapped hand, which Karloff grants such a gentle delicacy to. As the evil brother though Karloff is so much fun to watch, though he does this without ever going over the top though as the sort of evil he portrays really does get under your skin. It's a brilliantly devious turn from him, and I only wish the film he was in had been a bit more complicated overall.)

Cagney - 3.5(Cagney is basically always good and he's good here again in just giving a charismatic performance as usual. He's often underused within the film though and Cagney just isn't allowed t get into the role as much as usual.)

March - 3.5(He's really quite charming for the first half of the film sharing some really sweet chemistry with Oberon. When the film turns March is on tightrope though into falling into some melodrama in portraying his character struggling with his blindness. There are times where he does fall into the melodramatic just a bit but to his credit when he holds back he is actually quite moving in portraying the more subtle anguish in the character.)

Donat - 3.5(Charming work from him as usual in his main role as just the romantic lead. He does differentiate as the cowardly ghost but the film doesn't allow him to really do much in either role. Both are pretty simple characters and the only thing that really elevates them is Donat who is just so likable no matter what.)

Lorre - 3(He's enjoyable enough here in playing up the role as the creep, particularly as the "dead man" unfortunately the film never really lets him let loose besides those scenes. The rest of the time he's not given much to do either though Lorre again is okay in portraying a lower key creep, but still he can't quite elevate the material.)

MacMurray - 2.5(He's mildly charming here, he has okay chemistry with Hepburn, but really this is a pretty forgettable performance by him.)

Barrymore - 3.5(Very much a reprise of his Oscar winning performance as he takes the same approach once again as the alcoholic who needs to be called into action. Again though for the time Barrymore manages to give the alcoholism a real weight and makes his character more than just a joke.)

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Lead:

1. Greta Garbo - Anna Karenina - 5
2. Madeleine Carroll - 39 Steps
3. Jean Arthur - The Whole Town's Talking - 4
4. Katherine Hepburn - Alice Adams - 4
5. Bette Davis - Dangerous - 3.5
6. Claudette Colbert - Private Worlds - 3.5
7.Ginger Rogers - Top Hat - 3.5
8. Miriam Hopkins - Becky Sharp - 3
9. Merle Oberon - Dark Angel - 3
10. Elisabeth Bergner - Escape Me Never - 2.5

Supporting:

1. Elsa Lanchester - Bride of Frankenstein
2. Edna May Oliver - David Copperfield
3. Jean Arthur - Public Hero No.1 - 3.5
4. Ann Dvorak - G Men - 3.5
5. Edna May Oliver - The Tale of Two Cities
6. Una O'Connor - The Informer
7. Isabel Jewell - The Tale of Two Cities - 3.5
8. Florence Eldrige - Les Miserables
9. Elsa Lanchester - The Ghost Goes West - 3
10. Frances Dee - Becky Sharp - 3

He is a five, I'll just have to update the post.

3's

Calvin:

The Shape of Water is a dicey one to predict as the Academy has only previously embraced Pan's Labyrinth yet did not nominate for Best Picture, and it lost (rightfully) in Foreign Language film despite its three wins. I do think this can be the one they embrace again, especially since it's easier for a genre film to get into best picture now, so I think it will be in the conversation for technical awards at the very least, I think it has the potential to go further though based on the glowing reactions.

Hawkins though is another story. Now although she, and Ronan are the only non-winners really in the conversation so far (Bening's chances seem to be fading very very fast) I think they could still opt to give Lawrence (who they love whether or not they will all love Mother!, I doubt they all loved the Mop movie), Streep, or Stone another win. Hawkins will need critical support, but then again that did not help her for Happy Go Lucky.

Anonymous said...

Luke Higham

Louis: Thoughts on Garbo, Arthur and Hepburn.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast for a 1940's Midnight Run.

Louis Morgan said...

Charles:

Fifth behind Soylent Green, The Sea Wolf, Little Caesar, and Double Indemnity.

Tahmeed:

Again to be considered a true snub they need to have been potentially in the conversation.

Actress:

1. Amy Adams - Arrival
2. Jean Simmons - Elmer Gantry
3. Pam Grier - Jackie Brown
4. Lee Remick - Anatomy of A Murder
5. Marion Cotillard - Rust and Bone
6. Glenda Jackson - Mary, Queen of Scots
7. Michelle Yeoh - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
8. Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks
9. Cher - Mask
10. Uma Thurman - Kill Bill vol 1. (Yes I prefer her in 2, but she got more citations for 1.)

Supporting Actress:

1. Shelley Winters - Next Stop, Greenwich Village
2. Pamela Franklin - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
3. Sonia Braga - Kiss of the Spider Woman
4. Cathy Tyson - Mona Lisa
5. Joan Greenwood - Tom Jones
6. Kelly MacDonald - No Country For Old Men
7. Geraldine Chaplin - Nashville
8. Celia Johnson - The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
9. Sally Field - Forrest Gump
10. Tess Harper - Tender Mercies

I excluded those who wrongly campaigned as lead such as:

Shelley Winters - Lolita, Ava Gardner - The Night of the Iguana, Faye Dunaway - Barfly, Courtney Love - People vs. Larry Flynt, and many more.

Original Song:

1. "Flying Dreams" - The Secret of NIMH
2. "Hellfire" - Hunchback of Notre Dame
3. "New York, New York" - New York, New York
4. "Drive it Like You Stole It" - Sing Street
5. "I'll Make a Man Out of you" - Mulan
6. "The Bells of Notre Dame" - Hunchback of Notre Dame
7. "Grease" - Grease
8. "The Wrestler" - The Wrestler
9. "Money Money" - Cabaret
10. "Love Song for a Vampire" - Bram Stoker's Dracula

I'll never understand why they just flat out ignored Mulan and Hunchback, after having fully embraced all the other renaissance films and then even embraced Hercules.

Louis Morgan said...

Original Screenplay:

1. Blue Velvet
2. Mulholland Drive
3. Nashville (Mind Boggling)
4. The Lives of Others
5. Seven
6. Groundhog Day
7. The Hateful Eight
8. Collateral
9. Mona Lisa
10. The Man Who Wasn't There

Adapted Screenplay:

1. Ran
2. Jaws
3. Deliverance
4. Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
5. The Day of the Jackal
6. Patch of Blue
7. Dead Man Walking
8. Steve Jobs
9. Raging Bull
10. Short Cuts

Calvin Law said...

Louis: what are your thoughts on the scores of Twin Peaks and Breaking Bad, and the screenplay to A Patch of Blue?

Calvin Law said...

As in specifically, the main themes to both shows.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I didn't even know Nashville wasn't nominated for Screenplay. That's utterly insane.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

Thoughts on Davis, Colbert, Hopkins, Oberon and Bergner?

Anonymous said...

Stronger has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, looks like Jake Gyllenhaal does have a chance to be nominated this time.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Is Cher still a 5 for Mask.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Garbo - (It's hard to name anyone who could quite rule the screen the way Garbo does whether or not the film is even great. This adaptation, though not bad, really does thrive on Garbo's central performance more than anything else. The strength from the film comes from the strength of her performance, which thankfully for the film Garbo's performance is quite something on its own. Garbo as per usual just on that magnetism is more than enough but it also adds a real stature to Anna within the story particularly in the scene where she sets things "right" for her brother. Beyond that though she is able to create a far more palatable need for the affair, and although March is on her level in this film, Garbo more than makes up for it in creating that need for a direct affection. She so effectively realizes that direct passion and in turn creates a far more powerful portrayal of the slowly growing despair within her as the story goes on. Garbo again, never losing what made her a silent star, does so much within a single shot, which comes particularly useful in her dynamite final scene.)

Arthur - (This is right in her wheelhouse and that's fine since that's where Arthur excels. She's right in her comfort zone in thrives with it here giving such an entertaining outgoing performance that contrasts effectively against Robinson's portrayal of the meek side. She though has a lot of fun particularly early on in the film where she falsifies a gun moll routine that's pretty funny.)

Hepburn - (This is Hepburn certainly becoming more and more Hepburn in terms of the intensity of the mannerisms. She though has found it in terms of using it in order for her to have a real presence onscreen, in addition her mannerisms here actually do work fairly well for her manic character. Hepburn effectively carries the film here even if there isn't too much of a film to carry, she elevates it to a certain degree through her dynamic performance.)

Calvin:

Twin Peaks - (I will say that the first season's soundtrack is a touch repetitive, not in terms of the songs themselves just in terms of how many there are total but in think that related more to budget than anything else. The three main songs though used in the first season though are all sort of masterpieces in their own right whether it is the beautiful main theme, the absolutely haunting Laura Palmer's theme, or the brilliantly odd yet perfect Audrey's Dance that simply is Twin Peaks.)

Breaking Bad - (Well obviously the show would often mix it up with preconceived songs, perhaps more than usually an actual score. It's times where it used a direct score though were always incredibly effective whether it was that opening of every single episode of the series, that somehow never got old, or of course when we were finally granted the entirety of the theme, to such great effect, in Granite State.)

I find Patch of Blue's screenplay to be rather wonderful in its success of avoiding so many traps in its realization of its beautiful and seemingly simple story. On one hand you can almost look upon it as a fairy tale with the young woman saved by her mean step mother, by a Knight. Of from there that it subverted with the man not being an average knight and the mother being her actual mother. It however manages to cover the facets of abuse with a real nuance despite depicting the direct brutality of it, it never becomes overdone. I particularly love the scene where they all start fighting with the neighbors and almost seem to forget what even happened to cause the fight. The film goes further though in its exploration of the race relationship which it never simplifies itself, even with the blindness setup, nor does that element feel tacked on. It is a pivotal element and the screenplay naturally realizes through more of the main plot of Selina escaping her plight.

Louis Morgan said...

Giuseppe:

Davis - (I'll admit I can't quite see the terrible performance some have noted this to be, in fact I thought she was more than decent throughout the film even though I can see this as sort of a diminished returns reprise of Of Human Bondage. Davis does take a similair take with the part of sort of a downtrodden woman but here she intensifies the darker aspects considerably. She still realizes those elements well enough though and I did find her later moments of a more direct regret actually rather moving.)

Colbert - (Colbert's best when she gets to let loose a bit. Here the film keeps her fairly confined to the nature of the part of the good doctor. Her best scenes are when directly helping the patients as Colbert does a terrific job of portraying sort of this persuasive warmth that calms and in some way controls the patients. The rest of the time she's more than decent yet perhaps just a little too low key for her own good. She's just fine at being there, but she's just there.)

Oberon - (A little odd it seems that she was nominated well March was not for this film given how little she has to do here. She's not bad at all. She has good chemistry with March but that's all that is really asked for her. She makes the few moments to herself moving enough yet the focus is rarely on her, it's usually on March or even Marshall before it returns to her.)

Bergner - (Pretty lacking performance that is very much one of the performances of the time that just isn't quite there in terms of being cinematic. Her work is often bland in a way in that she seems to become lost within the frame. Now she's not as bad as some though in that she does have a few moments where essentially shows room for improvement yet these are few and far between overall.)

Anonymous:

Yes, again I was considering the severity of snub also in terms of the likely hood of being nominated originally.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Other films to watch.
Champion (Re-watch)
Late Spring
Bitter Rice
Flame Of My Love
Adam's Rib
Too Late For Tears
Little Women
In The Name Of The Law
A Hometown In Heart
Colorado Territory
Rendezvous In July
Jour de Fete
Reign Of Terror
Flamingo Road (Joan Crawford)
Liebe 47
Holiday Affair
Passport To Pimlico
I Shot Jesse James
I Was A Male War Bride
Give Us This Day
The Walls Of Malapaga
Pattes Blanches
Such A Pretty Little Beach
Salon Mexico
Alias Nick Beal
Living In Shadows
The Window
Rotation
The Yotsuda Phantom
Easy Living
The Secret Garden

Anonymous said...

Also watch:
Beyond the Forest
The Big Steal
Knock on Any Door
The Stratton Story
Streets of Laredo
Any Number Can Play

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Louis: Thoughts on the Game of Thrones episode "And Now His Watch Is Ended".
Also, your top 10 acting moments for Cary Grant, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Could you possibly review Peter O'Toole in Troy.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your rating and thoughts on March in Anna Karenina and Cooper in Lives of the Bengal Lancers. Also you forgot to post your cast for a 1940's Midnight Run.

Anonymous said...

Finally, a 5 for Karloff.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Of the years you've done so far, is De Niro in Mean Streets the only performance that you would consider upgrading.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If you are considering upgrading De Niro for Mean Streets, could you re-watch it around the time you'll be having a break before the Nominations are announced.

ruthiehenshallfan99 said...

Louis: What are your ratings for Henry Wilcoxon and Loretta Young in The Crusades?

Omar Franini said...

Louis: What are your ratings and thoughts on Kim Basinger in The Door in the Floor and Kim Cattrall in The Ghost Writer?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your top 20 acting moments of Sam Rockwell, George C. Scott and Tom Courtenay.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: Thoughts on Russ Tamblyn in Twin Peaks?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

I didn't forget, I just am busy, and did not have the time to finish before anyway.

Midnight Run 1940's:

Jack Walsh: James Cagney
The Duke: Thomas Mitchell
FBI Agent Mosely: Pat O'Brien
Marvin Dorfler: Robert Ryan
Eddie Moscone: Hume Cronyn
Jimmy Serrano: George Raft

March - 3(Well he is a far better Vronsky than old Aaron Taylor-Johnson in that March is actually charming in the role and at least shows the appeal of the man in some way. I still would like to know if there is a truly great Vronksy lying around. Anyway March is good as the charming side of the character as he makes a likable lead. He is less successful in the more complicated elements of the relationship with Anna though. Garbo finds the complexity of the relationship March doesn't quite reach it there, giving mostly a more overt portrayal of love, which again at least he makes that work, yet he doesn't go quite deep enough.)

Cooper - 2.5(Cooper just is pretty bland here unfortunately. He has some decent moments mostly when Franchot Tone seems to get a rise out of him, but there's too often where someone could have just brought a lot more charisma to the role. He's unfortunately mostly just there when the part needed a more active performer.)

Tahmeed:

And Now His Watch Has Ended - (One of the great episodes of the series though I would not say perhaps for the reason it is known for. The Daenarys scene is well done though. The rest of the episode is what is great and suggests an overall portrait actually of what makes it a great series. We have the spectacle of that scene but so much more. There is also the King's Landing intrigue which manages to be compelling through some more nuanced back stabbing. We also though get the more literal backstabbing in the Beyond the Wall with the traumatic death of Jeor Mormont, but also the rather satisfying death of Craster by a Fookin legend. One of my favorite acting moments in the series is Burn Gorman's moment where he's like "yeah I'm doing this". In the North there is a pivotal, almost forgotten, forgotten given that scene in the last current episode that reiterated the same exact thing, where we have Alfie Allen rather heartbreaking in Theon's moment where he acknowledges Ned Stark as his true father. Of course that moment is cut short as we are brutally introduced to Ramsay Snow's methods. The highlight of the great episode though for me is In the Riverlands we where get the incredible reintroduction of Beric Dondarrion in the scene of accusations against the Hound. I love the scene as we not only get a sign of some of the Hound's remorse in such a powerful way, but we are granted a greater insight into the losses of the war through Richard Dormer's amazing delivery.)

Grant:

1. Thornhill At the Auction - North By Northwest
2. "I'm not Kaplan" - North By Northwest
3. Final Sequence - His Girl Friday
4. He's everyone - Charade
5. The Other Man - The Awful Truth
6. Prison - Bringing Up Baby
7. Meeting Bat Again - Only Angles Have Wings
8. Train Rendezvous - North By Northwest
9. Apology - The Awful Truth
10. An Ultimatum - Holiday

Louis Morgan said...

Bale:

1. Borden Meets Lord Caldlow - The Prestige
2. Listening to the tape - Out of the Furnace
3. Bullet Trick - The Prestige
4. "You like Huey Lewis and the news" - American Psycho
5. Learning Angier's "trick" - The Prestige
6. Phone Call - American Psycho
7. Dieter is Shot At - Rescue Dawn
8. Revenge - Out of the Furnace
9. Losing his Parents - Empire of the Sun
10. The Documentary - The Fighter

Cooper:

1. His First Kill - American Sniper
2. A Bad song - Silver Linings Playbook
3. Like no war's going on - American Sniper
4. Going over the shooting - The Place Beyond the Pines
5. Figuring out the letter - Silver Linings Playbook
6. Confrontation with Jason - The Place Beyond the Pines
7. That's what killed him - American Sniper
8. "Running" into Tiffany - Silver Linings Playbook
9. "It's real" - Guardians of the Galaxy
10. Final Advice - War Dogs

Luke:

Yes.

Ruthiehenshallfan99:

2 for Wilcoxon, 2.5 for Young.

Omar:

Basinger - 2(Her performance is rather misguided, but again I think L.A. Confidential is one of her best performances, and I don't even love her there. Here she, I assume, wants to make a character who has become dull and unfeeling to the world due to her loss. Basinger never quite realizes the underlying grief that creates this state. She unfortunately comes off as just a bored actor rather than making the character feel truly detached in the right way.)

Cattrall - (Her performance is rather good in just creating the nature of the role in the smaller margins, creating that front of just the pleasant supportive secretary yet layers nicely to allude to her relationship with Brosnan's character. She's particularly effective in her final scene in portraying perhaps the only genuine grief regarding the death.)

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Rockwell:

1. The Assassination - The Assassination of Jesse James
2. "Do I have a name?" - Galaxy Quest
3. Old Sam tells New Sam to go - Moon
4. "No Shootouts!" - Seven Psychopaths
5. "Plucky?" - Galaxy Quest
6. Fake Final Scene - Seven Psychopaths
7. Interrogation - The Assassination of Jesse James
8. Plan from the episode he died in - Galaxy Quest
9. Call Home - Moon
10. Forgot About the Flare Gun - Seven Psychopaths
11. Close Shave - The Assassination of Jesse James
12. Meeting New Sam - Moon
13. Scream - Galaxy Quest
14. Colluding with his brother - The Assassination of Jesse James
15. Secret Psychopath - Seven Psychopaths
16. Working Together - Moon
17. The Gong Show - Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
18. Stuck - A Single Shot
19. What Wild Bill Did - The Green Mile
20. Suicidal thoughts - The Assassination of Jesse James

Honorable mention to "regular or menthol?" from TMNT

George C. Scott:

1. American Flag - Patton
2. Message for the deceased - Patton
3. Apology - Patton
4. Visiting the wounded - Patton
5. Being dressed down - Patton
6. Turgidson's thoughts - Dr. Strangelove
7. Final confrontation - The Hustler
8. Catching the Russian Ambassador - Dr. Strangelove
9. Seeing his father - A Christmas Carol
10. 3's breakdown - 12 Angry Men
11. A Pair of jackasses - Patton
12. "You're a natural character" - The Hustler
13. Arriving to the base - Patton
14. Interrogating the wife - Anatomy of a Murder
15. Call from his secretary - Dr. Strangelove
16. No More Questions - Anatomy of a Murder
17. "Don't leave me here" - A Christmas Carol
18. "I'll kill you" - 12 Angry Men
19. What type of Kraut name is that? - Dr. Strangelove
20. Coal is costly - A Christmas Carol

Courtenay:

1. "The Private Life is Dead" - Doctor Zhivago
2. Story of his desertion - King & Country
3. The Beach - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
4. "He was my friend" - The Dresser
5. Speech - 45 Years
6. The Hospital - Billy Liar
7. Yuri's wound - Doctor Zhivago
8. Gatiss visits Eberline - A Dandy in Aspic
9. One More Lie - Billy Liar
10. Being told the truth - Doctor Zhivago
11. Reporting the truth - King Rat
12. A Letter arrives - 45 Years
13. Being Confronted by his girlfriends - Billy Liar
14. At Home - The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
15. Meeting Hamp - King & Country
16. The Storm - the Dresser
17. Refusing to finish - The Long Distance Runner
18. Shooting Range - A Dandy in Aspic
19. Yuri gathers Lara - Doctor Zhivago
20. Execution - King & Country

Calvin:

Tamblyn - (His best performance, though he's even better in the revival. Tamblyn though is much of the time is a hoot in portraying the doctor who is just ever so off kilter. Tamblyn brings almost this dancers energy that is perfect to the manic style of the doctor in any of the scenes we get of his random bizarre behavior. Tamblyn though does go further in giving the right nuance to the moments where he is directly involved in the case portraying effectively internalized concern for Laura, and the way he is haunted by the past as well.)

Anonymous said...

Louis: your top 20 omar sharif acting moments

Anonymous said...

Louis: your top 20 albert finney acting moments