I feel like I need to do some editing of the blog. I want the side bar to be like most other movie blogs where you can separate everything by year or decades for easier navigating. I think I have to tag all of my posts with what I want to separate them into. Not really sure, definitely have to dive into that at some point. If anyone can help me, send a message! As for the year, there's a bunch of films I've wanted to see for a while and some performances I have been waiting to check out. Let's get into it.
1981 Best Supporting Actor
John Gielgud - Arthur
Arthur seems to be a film that people will either love or hate. Dudley Moore plays a drunk rich guy who will either get on your nerves or make you think he's hysterical. Gielgud is the one constant that I think everyone can agree on in being terrific. Gielgud plays Arthur's (Moore) butler and babysitter if we're being honest. It's a standard role but what sets Gielgud's performance apart from other roles like this is just how caustically sarcastic and biting his little witty, dry retorts are. Gielgud verbally tears down every one but does so in a way that they don't see as put downs. His verbal barbs are genuinely hilarious and I enjoyed waiting for whatever he was going to say next. But there is more to the performance than just Gielgud being an asshole to people. He adds a depth of humanity and warmth to the character that peek out now and again, mostly when dealing with Arthur. He takes on an almost fatherly role for Arthur and you can tell at the end that he does indeed love him and see the good in Arthur and want the best for him. I think that's partially why the nomination works because it's way more than just an Alfred type butler guy talking shit about people in a sophisticated, funny way. It's a simple looking performance that is effective in getting us to laugh with a surly man who actually has a good heart. The twist at the end isn't played up for very much schmaltz and Gielgud seems to deflect some of the sentimentality with his trademark quips. That's another reason that I like it because it's not just an abrupt asshole is now a warm and fuzzy good guy because of circumstances. It's earned ever so slightly throughout the film and Gielgud does a great job of getting the character there. This is one of those veteran actor wins that feels wholly earned.
James Coco - Only When I Laugh
I always get a little wary of names I've never heard of and wonder if this is going to be a legit great one off performance or if it just comes along for the ride with a film that the Academy has fallen in love with. This film is a Neil Simon film and he definitely has a track record with the Academy of getting acting nominations and just generally being well received by them. This nomination has the distinction of being one of the few Oscar nominees to also be nominated for a Razzie award (which is the opposite of the Oscars if you don't know). Now, I enjoyed Coco's comedic performance as the gay best friend to Marsha Mason. It seems like really standard gay best friend stuff. He's always making catty quips, is obviously gay without being flamboyant, and enjoys being one of the girls so to speak. But to have this nominated for a Razzie is just mean and absurd. I know that group started out as a joke really, but still. It's not bad at all so I'm wondering why it was considered to be one of the worst of the year. He's a truly supporting character to Mason, basically being her rock when she needs someone to take care of her and he's an emotionally available friend, commiserating and complaining right along with his girl friends. It could easily sum up the gay best friend character just without the flamboyant styling. It's certainly not an awful performance even though it never had a chance to actually win. It might not be a standout but you aren't going to hate it, either.
Ian Holm - Chariots of Fire
I had been waiting to watch this film forever mostly because it gets ridiculed as a Best Picture winner - unfairly, I may add. I think this film is really strong and a little more than just a simple running story. Holm plays the Jewish guy's running coach. The film is about a group of runners, mainly a Jewish guy and a Scottish Christian guy who push each other to get better and succeed. The Jewish guy (because I forget his name and yes I could look it up but I'm lazy) hires Holm as his running coach and Holm is like the best coach in the country. So Holm starts to whip Jewish guy into running shape, though there is an issue that this now makes him not an amateur for the 1924 Olympics. He's chosen anyway and goes. But Holm's character has a different style of teaching and that gets shown. It's almost like his character is Hercule Poirot in a way. I know that's an odd connection to make but he has the hat and mustache combo along with being very serious about his job. But Holm does have that odd style to his coaching where he mumbles and gets mad though he is the best at what he's doing. So the performance has that camaraderie feel to it between Holm and Jewish guy. The best moment Holm has is by himself in a hotel waiting to see what the result of the race is and he sees the Union Jack fly up a flag pole and he gets excited and punches through his hat and mutters "My Son" in a prideful moment. It's a nice scene that encapsulates what Holm's performance is about. I do feel, however, that Holm's nomination came along for the ride with the film and was representative of all the actors on the film. Not to denigrate his work but it's just not something you'd really single out. Even if you did, it's not something that would win. It's a fun nomination for him but not much else.
Jack Nicholson - Reds
Now I'm getting to the point where I see a Nicholson nomination and groan. We all know that he's a great actor and has a bunch of great performances but right now I guess I'm in that time frame where he was getting nominated because he's Jack Nicholson. You can argue that the Terms of Endearment win wasn't all that special or entirely deserved and that Prizzi's Honor was meh and Ironweed (which I liked, performance-wise anyway) was Oscar bait. Nicholson here portrays the playwright Eugene O'Neill. I'll preface all this by saying I like him in the role. He has an affair with Diane Keaton's character which takes up most of his early screen time which isn't all that much. But he definitely has a presence. Like a low key calmness that hides a whirlwind of emotion inside him. Nicholson is smooth but you can sense frustration and anger and trauma peeking through cracks but never spilling out. It's like Nicholson is on another level in the film and it's really fascinating to watch. It's like his character in The Shining before he explodes and without the smarmy, dead eyed looks. It's suave and determined, I dunno how to really describe it other than Nicholson is doing something interesting with his few scenes that don't even set up his character. We don't really know who he is and are expected to know who Eugene O'Neill is already. I didn't know anything other than he was a writer of some sort. I also rather enjoyed one of his last scenes where he's helping Keaton find Beatty and he's actually doing something besides standing around all cool with a drink and his nice mustache. But you can also look at this as Jack playing Jack playing O'Neill and sticking out in the film. It's intriguing to say the least but was it really enough for a nomination? I actually really liked Gene Hackman in his small role and at first wondered why he didn't get recognition but Nicholson does have a bigger, more well known part. Luckily, there were some other good performances this year I liked better so I don't have to wring my hands at a win.
Howard Rollins - Ragtime
Ragtime is a pretty interesting film. It has all the hallmarks of a Best Picture type of film but it never fully comes together. It's an epic film about New York City in the early 1900s in the time before WWI. It's based off a highly regarded book and the story weaves together many different characters and plots that feature prominent historical figures of the time. I was intrigued to watch it because it's a time period that is rarely covered and one I don't personally know a whole lot about. It's a grand sounding story and film but the product we get is very personal and minor in scope. I think the film would have been better served being more epic and focused on all the different plotlines rather than focusing more on Rollins' story. So yeah, Rollins is basically the lead even though there are lots of other actors in the film which probably is why he's in Supporting but it's not a very egregious thing really. Rollins is a black man who plays piano well and had a baby with a woman who abandoned her child behind a white upper class family's home. That brings him into contact with the family as he's looking for the woman and it sorta sets off his story. He drives a new Model T car and is stopped near a firehouse full of racist firemen who block him in and then vandalize his car. Rollins can't get satisfaction for making those men pay and no one will help him take it to court and basically he's black and they are white and he's not going to be able to do anything to them legally. So he becomes a sort of vigilante and taking the law into his own hands and he kills some firemen and blows up some buildings and then takes over a library downtown. The whole story is about the black struggle that was still very much going on at the turn of the century even in NYC. Rollins is really strong in the role. He plays it as man pushed to his limits because he isn't getting out of life what he thinks he should simply because he is black. Rollins makes that frustration clear in his performance that he sees himself as just an American and a human though everyone else sees black. He just wants to be treated with dignity and Rollins communicates that to us in a very convincing manner. But Rollins' performance does feel like it's lacking some oomph. I don't know if it's the character holding him back or the film that won't allow him to puncture scenes with some razor sharp acting. I kept thinking about Chiwetel Ejiofor and his role in 12 Years a Slave and how he was able to explode at times with righteous anger and give his performance an edge even though it was a more quiet and steady role at times. That's what I was looking for from Rollins but then I'm comparing a Best Actor performance to a Supporting so should I really expect that from Rollins? And does that mean Rollins is much stronger than his Supporting label? Yes to that question. I think Rollins is strong but needed a little more in his performance but this will be something I strongly consider for the win unless someone else just blows me away. Didn't think I'd write that much for Mr. Rollins!
As usual this category brings me another interesting group. I liked all of them and find it difficult in where to rank everyone and if I should stick with the Academy's winner. I do think you can interchange both Holm and Coco at the end. Both are fine in their roles but don't offer up anything long lasting in terms of performance. Almost stock roles now, they added their own flares to them. Coco at least gets to be one of the few gay nominees in acting, so there's that. Nicholson lands in the middle with a fascinating character that I can't figure out if he's brilliant or just doing his own thing or what. There's something there that I like but the two ahead are better. Then we come to Gielgud versus Rollins. Gielgud is hilarious and warm, while Rollins essentially carries his film and could be a lead. I wanted just a little more from Rollins but I thought he was great and was let down by a boring film at times. Imagine if Steve McQueen (the director, not the actor) got a hold of that film and that performance. I think he'd be electric. But can I vote for potential and what ifs? No, I think I have to go with what we see here and Gielgud is a hoot and helps make the film so damn funny. It might seem and easy role but he has to teeter on being funny and just being a flat out asshole. Gielgud is funny. This category never lets me down.
Oscar Winner: John Gielgud - Arthur
My Winner: John Gielgud - Arthur
Howard Rollins
Jack Nicholson
James Coco
Ian Holm
No comments:
Post a Comment