best (favourite) actor: Ralf Fiennes God damn. Ok, Timothy Spaul was absolutely sulblime in Mr Turner but I err away from biopics - no matter how impressionistic - because nothing excites me as much as a wholly original character being brought to life. Jake Gyllenhaal was chilling in Nightcrawler, and he brought a comic sensibility to the role that did great service to the film as a whole. then there is Michael Keaton, rising like the proverbial phoenix in Birdman. Michael Keaton is one of my favourite actors. His timing in impeccable, and he has always straddled the line of brilliant dramatic actor, and super refined comic. Hollywood isnt always fond of guys that can do anything, and hes been unfairly sidelined for too long. His performance in Birdman is other-worldly - the character really isnt anything new (remember watching Day for Night?) but Keaton imbues the role with such potency that you feel as though youre living the characters many anxieties yourself. The only reason Im more drawn to Fiennes is because its hard to separate Keatons character from the ensemble of nuts that surround it - not that that detracts, but its just not quite as magic as... ok. Fiennes. The above three performances are all layered with subtleties and turns that put them far out in the realm of brilliance, so this really just comes down to taste. M. Gustave may be my favourite character in a film since Daniel Plainview. It is very difficult to make a character so charismatic without being tedious or bombastic (johnny depp i know you are reading this), but Fiennes managed to do it. Like Keaton, I feel as though Fiennes has been unfairly maligned by Hollywood for being a jack of all trades - and here he proves that his ability to slip seamlessly between comedy and tragedy is a mercurial magic that only he (or so he makes you believe) can pull off. It may not have the layers of Keatons performance, but it has that pure cinematic illusory wonder that had me rooting for the charmingly foul-mouthed hotelier from his first frame. that holy shit! You got him! got me every time. NOTE: i still havent seen Whiplash (i was travelling!) but Im sure JK Simmons is great in it. https://youtube/watch?v=eqrQBhw4YVg
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 08:08:45 +0000
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