Vin Scully is a National Treasure

Vin Scully is in his 63rd season of calling Dodger baseball. The probation period is almost up.

But seriously, he is the Mozart of baseball broadcasters and I can’t imagine another announcer ever being as good.

And he’s always been there. Night after night, summer after summer.

Well, Scully is now 84, and Dodger fans are keenly aware that he won’t always be there. It’s hard to even

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Alternate Best Actor 2008

And the Nominees Were Not:

Brendan Gleeson in In Bruges

Colin Farrell in In Bruges

Michael Fassbender in Hunger

Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino

Leonardo DiCaprio in Revolutionary Road

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Results

5. Tim Curry in Clue- Tim Curry gives a very enjoyable performance where he infuses a great deal of energy in every scene as well as works wonders with the rest of his cast.

4. Jeff Daniels in The Purple Rose of Cairo- Daniels gives a very strong performance as both as the actor and his character. He does a particularly wonderful job portraying the subtle differences between the two.

3. Jonathan Pryce in Brazil- Pryce has a difficult role being a film very much controlled without question by the director. Nevertheless Pryce stands as the solid straight man of the film, giving a likable as well as moving portrayal of a normal man in an overly complex world.

2. Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future- Fox tempted me greatly into giving him the win with his absolutely terrific performance in this film. He carries the film brilliantly with his perfect performance that adds both weight and humor to the film.

1. Raul Julia in Kiss of the Spider Woman- This is an especially shameful year for the academy who nominated several mediocre performance when they could have nominated this terrific line up instead. This was also particularly hard to decide on my ranking on the bottom three, the top two, and even the overall number one. Julia though I give both the win here, as well as the overall along with his co-star Hurt, because what makes both of their performances as tremendous as they both are because of the truly fascinating relationship they create with each other. Both are completely amazing in their roles, but I still should say Fox is right behind them with his equally great even though very different performance.

Overall Rank:

1. William Hurt and Raul Julia in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tie)
2. Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future
3. Jonathan Pryce in Brazil
4. Jeff Daniels in The Purple Rose of Cairo
5. Tim Curry in Clue
6. Harrison Ford in Witness
7. Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 
8. Paul Reubens in Pee Wee's Big Adventure
9. Jeff Bridges in Jagged Edge
10. Anthony Michael Hall in The Breakfast Club  
11. William Peterson in To Live and Die in LA
12. John Getz in Blood Simple
13. Sylvester Stallone in Rambo First Blood Part II
14. Emilio Estevez in The Breakfast Club
15. Sylvester Stallone in Rocky IV
16. James Garner in Murphy's Romance
17. Jon Voight in Runaway Train
18. Robert Redford in Out of Africa
19. Roger Moore in A View To Kill
20. Jack Nicholson in Prizzi's Honor

Next Year: 2008

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Oh no! Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting divorced

There is no joy today in Hollywood.   The relationship the town thought would last forever..  or at least six years, is apparently ending.  How could this not work?  I mean, the man jumped up and down on Oprah's couch?  What greater show of love has there ever been?

Get ready for an onslaught of TMZ/People/National Enquirer/ET/Gawker coverage of this monumental story.   Let the speculation

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Michael J. Fox in Back To The Future

Michael J. Fox did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Marty McFly in Back To The Future.

Back To The Future is one of my favorite films as I can watch it time and time again, and enjoy it every single time that I do. For those who don't know Back to the Future details Marty McFly's efforts to get back to the present after using his friend Doc Brown's time machine (Christopher Lloyd) as well as act matchmaker for his parents (Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson) after he inadvertently stopped the event that originally brought them together.

Michael J. Fox certainly is not an actor when his name is mentioned one thinks of acting greatness, but I would say many myself included think firstly of Marty McFly. Marty most certainly is his most memorable, and most iconic role, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Marty might not be the most dramatically weighty role ever, but it still is a challenge in its own right. Also this is one performance that I would never ever want to sell short since Fox carries one of my favorite films on his shoulders, and really he is responsible  for making many of elements of the film come together as well as they do.

Marty is really not suppose to be an excessively unusually high school student. He is just pretty normal actually he has a girlfriend, has the occasional discipline troubles, has some greater dreams that he is not so sure about, and family that may not be in perfect condition but still love him. The only really peculiar element to Marty is his friendship with the wild eyed scientist inventor of sort Doc Brown, which puts him in the situation that eventually causes him to travel back in time. In the way he is written in lesser hands Marty really could have not sat well if played too straight, such as apparently that is why Eric Stoltz replaced, Fox though knows exactly how to portray McFly in an original fashion.

Fox is a very charming in this film, and he portrays the part of Marty in a rather low key fashion. He early on has a certain style in the role that is very watchable, and makes Marty very likable and easy to follow through his entire journey of the film. Fox was originally cast because of the slightly sitcom like approach he took to the part, and that actually what does work so well about his performance. Now it should be said this is a good performance in that style, and he most certainly does not go over the edge with it either. Fox uses it just the right fashion to be able to always bring a bit of humor to the role at almost all times, but he keeps the right tone to bring the weight to the scenes that need them as well.

Fox is both fun in the role, but still he portrays Marty as really a real person before anything else with actual problems. Fox never fails to bring the right method to any scene that he is in, no matter how strange the scenes may be in regards to his character. The strangest problem being that his mother becomes attracted to him after a mishap following Marty pushing away his father away from the fateful car that brought them together, where he gets hit himself instead. A mother being interested in her son, even though she does not know any better technically speaking, certainly is very tricky material, but the film deals with it wonderfully as written and particularly by Fox's portrayal of Marty's reactions to it.

Fox knows just how to play these scenes that certainly build up the awkwardness within Marty himself, and keeps the film from becoming so itself. His reactions to this are carefully comedic, but all the while Fox still manages to show the very real troubles that Marty feels over having to deal with such a situation. It is a very effective portrayal of this because Fox never overplays it, or underplays it. He never tries to make it too funny that it takes it out of the character, nor does he ever make too heavy of a situation. Fox keeps the whole complex situation grounded, as well as keeps it tasteful while still having fun with it as well.

Fox is just effective in bringing us through the whole time travel story when he first arrives into the past and is quite taken aback by what he sees. Again Fox really is just perfect here in bringing us to the past, as well as doing the same by reflecting what would be most anyone's reaction to being in the same exact situation. He effectively conveys Marty's distress by finding him in such an odd situation, that is in many ways disconcerting. Fox again though brings humor in some of the moments as Marty for example makes some of his 80's references that are unknown in the 50's. He again does not overplay them but keeps them in just that perfect tone that both brings the appropriate weight and humor to these scenes.

Two key relationships in the film are the ones with Marty's father and with Doc. Fox quite interestingly portrays Marty's own relationship with his past father. What is interesting about it is that Fox actually makes Marty the mentor of his father, and Fox does this believably so. The greatest difference between the father and son is that Marty will stand up for himself and his father will not. Fox and Glover have a really great chemistry with again a slight comedic edge since Marty is teaching the father life lessons. Fox again maneuvers this brilliantly by actually showing that Marty very much does care for his father and desperately wants to help more than just for his own preservation, but as well Fox realistically creates the relationship but has fun with the whole strange affair as well.

His relationship with Doc though which is most important to the series as a whole is also particularly well handled by both Fox and Lloyd. Although you never see Doc and Marty meet for the first time, and you never learn why they became friends but nevertheless both actors have natural chemistry and create a moving relationship between the two. Both actually show just an honest friendship that work because both actors are so comfortable in their scenes together. Fox is quite good in his scenes with past Doc as there is always the hanging feeling of dread suggested over the fact that the present Doc has been killed, Fox portrays this well portraying a genuine concern and care for his friend that is quite meaningful. Once more I must say that they are also a great comic duo as well as they place each other's style marvelously in the way Lloyd will up play a moment, and Fox will effectively downplay his own. The sorta mentor, sorta protege relationship just works wonderfully, so much so that it not only manages to carry this film but the other two as well.

This really is just a great performance by Michael J. Fox and brings to life his character Marty McFly brilliantly so. It is an entertaining, enjoyable, and very likable portrayal by Fox, and never once does he take the wrong approach to a scene. He is always absolutely on the mark in every scene, and his style works absolutely perfectly. He can go in in one scene of showing the harrowing moment in which he is starting to be erased from existent and he can seemingly carry this to his hilarious rendition of Johnny B. Goode. There is never a disconcerting effect to any moment in his performance and he seamlessly blends the various types of scenes of the film in complete harmony. This is truly strong work by Michael J. Fox that succeeds completely with his part which brings this great film together.

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Getting tickets to see TV shows

Wrapping up the week and month with Friday Questions.


Unknown starts us off. At least he’s not Anonymous.


I have a friend who is taking his wife and teenage kids to L.A. in August and wonder if you have any "insider" suggestions for studio tours and the like. Is it too late to try to get tickets to a filming of show? Or are these something they'll have the opportunity to get same day (

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Jeff Daniels in The Purple Rose of Cairo

Jeff Daniels did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Tom Baxter and Gil Shepherd in The Purple Rose of Cairo.

The Purple Rose of Cairo is an enjoyable film but also horrifying in its depiction of film characters who are sentient but still forced to reenact the same scenario over and over again. Anyway it is about a woman Cecilia (Mia Farrow) who tries to escape the troubles of the great depression by escaping in films, but finds one of the characters notices her and walks right out of the screen.

Jeff Daniels portrays both the character who comes out of the screen Tom Baxter, and Gil Shepherd the man who portrayed the character of Tom Baxter for the film. Tom Baxter really is not based on any particular character as the Purple Rose of Cairo is not poised as any sort of masterpiece. Instead it is shown to be clearly an especially lightweight piece of work, which is reflected well in the character of Tom Baxter. Something that is interesting actually about Daniels's dual role is that he does not portray them especially differently like say Peter Sellers plays his three parts in Dr. Strangelove. This is not a criticism though, because although his portrayals are not massively different they are not the same either.

As Tom Baxter Daniels portrays a very simple character who is suppose to be simple by the nature of that he is suppose to be a fairly simple character in the film within a film. Daniels is quite believable as this character within this film, which is just a character who is suppose to be a wide eyed optimist. Daniels plays up this fact in his portrayal as that is exactly what Baxter does. He looks at things in a wide eyed almost always happy fashion, and with a constant interest with his new surroundings once he finally decides to go and leave film. Daniels manages to bring the charm what is fitting in the role by just playing up how simple and nice the character of Tom Baxter is suppose to be.

Daniels actually has a very particular posture and style of movement for when he is Tom Baxter that emphasizes the fact that he is a film character, and not a really person. He always is very much proper in his posture, and his movement are always tight and distinct very much like the way the actors would move at the time. One thing he never does is ever really convey his emotions with his body more of just fairly simple facial expressions. He is always proper as the character's in those films were so often portrayed as there is not a hint of method acting in Tom Baxter. This actually a brilliantly handled aspect by Daniels, as he never brings to much attention to it, but still manages to show how Baxter is otherworldly.

Now of course Daniels also portrays Gil Shepherd the actor, and as I said he does not portray them all that differently. The truth is though he really should not portray him in an exceedingly different fashion though since Gil Shepherd is not suppose to be any sort of Laurence Olivier, in fact in many ways is suppose to be a fairly stock actor therefore he is not an actor with a great degree of range who becomes inseparable from a role. He is not even suppose to be a star actually, and Daniels therefore only really has small subtle differences between his two performances. One of these being his posture is more lacking, as well as he does express his emotions with his body quite often something that Tom never really does.

It is quite amazing actually the way Daniels so carefully pulls off the difference between the performance and the performer but he does it marvelously. Their other main difference comes in their attitudes and Daniels shows their differing personalities well. Gil is not a simple optimist in anyway instead he is a very self involved actor. Daniels is quite good here as well because he does not overplay this and make Gil some sort of self indulgent pompous jerk. Instead he portrays him fairly realistically downplaying the whole ego aspect, but still making it clear that Gil is always contemplating in his head his thoughts about his career first.

This is particularly well handled in his scenes with Mia Farrow. Daniels still has a certain charm as Gil, but there is always a particular drive in his performance that always seems to move toward something about himself. Daniels shows that even when Gil is talking to her pleasantly enough he only really comes to life whenever there is something mentioned about how great he was in something. On the other hand Daniels portrays that Tom is always light up in every moment he shares with Cecilia no matter what the situation. He never loses that simple outlook and his romantic love he shows for her is always absolutely genuine even if rather simple.

Jeff Daniels performance here is quite an achievement actually because of how carefully he does portray the two different men. He creates an interesting portrait of both a fantastical creation limited by the constraints of the black and white world he comes from which contrasts well with his realistic portrait of an actor who is very concerned with his own image and career. Both of his characters are both interesting in their own right, and Daniels manages to never overplay either character even though both could have been heavily. This is a strong performance that manages to bring  life to this quite peculiar story.

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Best known for something else

Lots of people have heard of the Tommy John Surgery. Done primarily on baseball pitchers, it’s a procedure where they take a tendon from your knee or hip and use it to replace a ligament in your elbow that’s shot.

Today it’s very common, and like I said well known. But how many people know who Tommy John is? My guess is most think he’s the surgeon who invented the procedure. Wrong.

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Tim Curry in Clue

Tim Curry did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Wadsworth in Clue.

Clue is a very enjoyable film based on the board game about a group people stuck in a mansion one storming night who try to find the murderer of their own blackmailer, but the problem is anyone of them could be murderers.

Clue is a film that probably has the greatest comedy ensemble period. I have heard some feel that Curry here is not lead in the film but rather supporting since the group of Wadsworth and the pseudonym using guests could all be leads. The problem is there are so many of them therefore it is a film where there is no true therefore everyone is supporting. I can understand this point especially in the middle of the film where Curry very much is just among the others, and seems to have equal importance. The reason I don't subscribe to this feeling though is the beginning and the end of the film Curry becomes the ringmaster of the circus, and absolutely leads the film.

Tim Curry portrays not one of the board game characters but rather the butler Wadsworth who invites everyone to the mansion to air out the secrets of everyone, as well as invite their apparent blackmailer Mr. Boddy. Tim Curry's role actually is quite a mystery and at first he just seems to be a butler who is doing his duties while getting all of the guests settled. He is certainly prim and proper enough to be the butler role, and there is no reason for us to assume that he is anything but. Soon enough though it appears Wadsworth is the one who in fact invited everyone to in fact expose Mr. Boddy as the blackmailers of the rest.

When Curry begins to expose the others' various weaknesses that cause them to be blackmailed it is here that Curry takes his very proper place within the arrangement of the cast. That placement being always the smartest one in the room, as well as the one who always stands on top in any battle of wits the others attempt to muster up. Curry is excellent in portraying the sharpest mind and he never has a missed timing when making Wadsworth seem smarter on the other seeming a lot dumber. He is sufficiently superior without  ever seeming smug or obnoxious in any way. Instead Curry in fact comes off as the most likable of the entire cast.

Curry is just great in the role and has a terrific chemistry with the rest of the cast. His method of bringing every little quip, and reaction into perfect harmony with who ever he is working with is simply wonderful. Curry in the role never fails to bring the laughs into every scene, with his perfect timing throughout the film. He is incredibly entertaining, and really in a way he is the glue that keeps everything working as Wadsworth does stay in charge for almost the entire film. There is not a moment where Curry is for a moment lacking, he brings something humorous to almost anything that he says. He even does this when talking about Wadsworth's wife suicide by the hilarious delivery of his line that said his wife had friends who were socialists.

This is an extremely energetic performance by Curry which livens every scene that he is in certainly, but even more so this sort of portrayal is what makes the final act of the film work. The final act consists of Wadsworth recounting the whole night, and coming to the conclusion of who the killer is. This is one big recreation of the whole night, and really it is a strange idea for a rather short film to spend its ending recounting the rest of the film, but it works. The reason it works is because of Curry's portrayal of it. He never loses a minute of time with his manic method of telling the story that is constantly funny and very entertaining the whole way through. Whether it is constant almost crazed physical movements, or his quick humorous impressions of rest of the cast it is just a joy to watch.

Eventually the finale comes three times with a different ending each time. Curry in the first two keeps up that same comedic energy, and the reveal about his character is not really any sort of stretch and makes sense considering Wadworth's action and Curry's portrayal. The final time though it is very much different and it turns out that in fact spoilers, that Wadsworth is in fact Mr. Boddy the black mailer all along. Well I must say Curry certainly can pull of suddenly being the villain, since after all he's Tim Curry, but frankly he really does not lead up to it technically speaking the first two endings fit in more accordingly to Curry's portrayal.

Nevertheless this is not a big deal being a comedy, since it would have been impossible to have really have both ways anyways, and plus Curry still remains enjoyable particularly his very funny delivery of his final line.This is just a fun performance from Curry throughout that adds considerably to his film. In the scenes where he needs to act with the rest of the cast he plays off of them marvelously, on the other hand when he needs to lead the film he handles it just well never leaving any question about his ability as well as doing it always with a great deal of comedy. This may not be an overly complex performance, but it is a very entertaining one which is exactly what it needed to be.

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More advice for young writers

There was a great exercise in Andy Goldberg's improv class recently. Yes, I still take an improv class. (You'd think I'd be better after all these years, but I take it anyway.)

This was the exercise: we had to play a character based on someone we knew. Not a celebrity -- no Al Pacino impersonations -- and not a caricature. We had to pick a real person we knew and really try to become

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Jonathan Pryce in Brazil

Jonathan Pryce did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Sam Lowry in Brazil.

Brazil is a fascinating film about an excessively complex world where a bureaucrat has an extremely hard time attempting to fix an administrative error.

Brazil is pretty much the definition of a director's film. Every inch of the film is in service of Terry Gilliam's vision of the film, and with these sort of films a great performance can be difficult. The reason is that performances are usually not their for the actor really explore their character and show off their abilities. Instead their performances are just used for the director's vision and only to enhance his projection. In this case most of the performances are very much as strange as the backgrounds just like many of the supporting players in A Clockwork Orange, and they are completely absurd. This is not to say these are bad performance, they most certainly are not, but they are simple and to the point.

Just like A Clockwork Orange though these limitations on the actors does not carry over to the lead performance here with Jonathan Pryce as Sam Lowry the bureaucrat who attempts to fix an error. Jonathan Pryce is the non absurd character actually, and instead stands as the straight man for the entire film. His character rather being just part of the environment as most of the others seem to be, Lowry stands as the man that we see in the environment. He is not comfortable with it like those who seem perfectly natural in it, and he is the only character that the audience can really identify with.

Jonathan Pryce actually has a surprising important role here because he is necessary for the success of the film. If there was this character who we could go along with the film might become maybe too much of a cluster to understand. Pryce knows that his character needs to be an anchor for the audience, he needs to be a normal person, and that is exactly as Pryce portrays him. Pryce does not go for any sort of flashiness in his performance. He takes a down to earth approach for his character, and just tries his best to show how an average man who behave given the circumstances of all the madness that is going around him at all times.

Interestingly enough Jonathan Pryce's Sam Lowry just like the leads from Kiss of the Spider Woman also spends a great deal of time escaping his current reality with fantasy and dreams. Pryce though even in his imaginary scenes where he is dressed in a gaudily made costume with giant wings flying where he tries to save a damsel in distress and fights various monsters puts on emphasis in reality. Even in these completely bizarre moments he still is completely straight forward in the matter, he portrays these scenes even as simply a down to earth hero, Pryce always keeps a straight face in these dreams no matter how odd they get.

Pryce is really perfect in the role as he acts just as anyone would given the situations he gets involved in. Even in the scenes that are really pretty much acts of physical comedy. In these moments Pryce does not overplay them and in fact allows them to be humorous well still stressing the more disturbing qualities of that is around him. He grounds every scene in a realism even when everything around him is anything but. Pryce realizes the stresses of these situations as a combined degree of stress, fear, and exhaustion as well. Although Pryce does suggests that Lowry is partially used to this structured madness, he still gets across the idea that the lunacy can still surprise him.

Due to this down to earth approach it is very easy to sympathize and follow along Sam's attempts to try to wade through the curious bureaucracy and save the literal woman of his dreams. His largely romantic adventure is extremely well portrayed by Pryce with a great deal of genuine truthful love in his performance showing that Sam's intentions are purely love. He though does have a nice degree of humor to when she fakes her own attraction to him, and Pryce reaction is just perfect. Pryce though is terrific because he absolutely is convincing in this love Sam has for this woman he barely knows, and actually makes what he does for her believable.

Jonathan Pryce with this straight forward approach makes a likable protagonist, and a moving portrayal of a man moved by emotion in a world that is moved along by anything but. It also succeeds in making the eventual fate of this normal man truly something heartbreaking. In his very final scene his final look on his face and the way he sings the song Brazil at the end is something that is truly haunting. Pryce really is essential to this film's success because of he is the central figure we can attach to within all of the over complexity around him, and stands as a man who the individual who falls victim to machinations of the state. Pryce's work here may not be a performance that forces attention upon itself, but it is one that absolutely serves its much needed purpose to its fullest extent.

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If Aaron Sorkin wrote THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW

Aaron Sorkin is back!  I loved THE NEWSROOM.  It's the perfect vehicle for his whip-smart dialogue.  (It was also nice to see the wonderful Emily Mortimer finally not in a thankless role.)


But essentially THE NEWSROOM was BROADCAST NEWS as written by Aaron Sorkin.  James L. Brooks wrote that terrific movie along with co-creating THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW.  So that got me thinking -- what if

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What ever became of Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly?

Here's another reader question where I can go to the source itself. 


From Bradley:


Do you know what became of Jackie Swanson after Cheers? She was terrific as Kelly and I assume the writing staff agreed given all the excellent material she was given.


She was and is terrific.  Jackie was nice enough to provide this update.  As you'll see it's been quite a rollercoaster ride.  I must say,

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Alternate Best Actor 1985: Raul Julia in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Raul Julia did not receive and Oscar nomination for portraying Valentin Arregui in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Raul Julia despite nominated for the golden globe with William Hurt as well, as winning the National Board of Review for Best Actor along with him, Julia found himself without an Oscar nomination. I don't think he suffered from category confusion either, since back than the academy would nominate two actors from the same film as they did just the previous year with Amadeus. He was in a Best Picture nominee yet he still was forgotten by the academy, although thankfully Hurt reminded them, but it certainly is a huge misstep by the academy. This is made especially true considering the lackluster nominees as well the fact that William Hurt's performance depended greatly on Julia's.

Raul Julia's Valentin and William Hurt's Luis Molina are from completely opposite worlds and lives even though at the moment they both share the same cell in the same South American prison. We see the incredible difference of these two men from the opening scene of the film. Starting out we see Hurt as Molina making broad gestures in a decorative robe telling dramatically a tale of romance, but on the opposite side we see Valentin on his bed crawled into a ball in darkness with sweat and blood stains on the back of his rather ratty shirt. In all of Hurt's long elegant description of the romantic film, Julia tears through into the scene from the darkness with a simple decidedly unromantic cynical joke.

Raul Julia role early on is that of the cynic against the romantic of Hurt's Molina, and their dynamic together is what makes the film as special as it is. Julia is excellent here bringing to life fully Valentin here who at first is a very bitter, and angry man. Valentin who is in prison as a political prisoner for his involvement in an underground movement against the government, and just before we first see him has repeatedly been tortured in the prison as a form of interrogation. Julia is intense as he portrays the angers and frustrations he has over being treated the way he has been, and Julia effectively shows how it really does consume in a way that brings out his cynicism as well as his own way of lashing out at Molina, and his beloved Nazi propaganda film.

In every way that Hurt portrays the sentimentality found in Molina's dreams and fantasy Julia comes back with Valentin's harsh realities. Every statement by Molina, Julia fires back with a cold efficiency showing Valentin's discontent in the cell.  Julia is blunt and to the point all the while in his performance that contrasts Hurt's performance perfectly. Where Hurt early shows Molina's head seems to be in the skies, Julia though always shows that instead Valentin cannot escape the present. There is always a certain drive there that makes always on target as a man for his cause. Julia is especially good in the way he shows that Valentin is at times very much on the watch for tricks, as he sharply questions whenever something seems slightly off.

What is so special in the film though comes in the way both actors move away from their initial ways early on where Molina starts to open up more about his own realities, whereas Valentin does start to indulge a bit more in the fantasy expressed by Molina. Julia is excellent here because he makes this transition subtle one, that never just moves his character one way. He never cheats his character of Valentin, he moves Valentin's transition to opening up about himself slow deliberate very much fitting a character who endured great torture just to keep his secrets. Whenever Valentin does open up a little Julia realistically portrays it, it never feels forced in any way, because even in these moments he never completely lets go the harsher tones brought upon from Valentin's history.

In the moments when Valentin does open up more later on Julia creates a complex and moving portrait of the man. He creates a somber showing of where the anger really does derive from that is seen so strongly in his other moments as he opens up to Molina about one of his lovers. Just like Hurt, he makes this man's past something that both comforts and haunts him as well. There is a depression in Julia's portrayal over not being able to see the woman he truly loves ever again, but interestingly shows even a bit of shame in his performance as well because the woman is technically against his own revolutionary ideals. Julia realizes this past in just a few moments brilliantly, that really brings to life where this man came from.

The most powerful moments of course come from the interactions between the two men. Their relationship is never made simple by either actor. Both actors are pitch perfect in creation of the relationship. At first they are, as I said before, opposites as Julia makes Valentin tower emotionally over Molina in his way by either attacking him in petty or more proper fashions, that Julia does show result both from Valentin's background as well as just his state that is forced upon him. Slowly but surely the men come closer together, but what is so fascinating about the two actor's portrayal of this is that it is not one sided. Both men influence each other to really open up into their deepest needs, and desires, as well as it changes more toward the other's view without completely giving up on their original feelings either.

Julia shows that Valentin comes to understand Molina's own love of the fantasy, and the escape that it provides from their difficult realities. It is a beautiful transformation that Julia shows as he expresses so well the relief the troubled Valentin finds in the fantasies created by Molina and himself. It is a truly wonderful sense of awe both actors create in showing how the men create these adventures in their own minds. Eventually the two men come to an understanding among one another, and begin to really understand one another. Again the both Hurt and Julia are marvelously in showing the two coming together. The two never simply the relationship but rather than ease into to naturally.

The two actors turn their relationship into something truly special. It is a deeply moving portrayal as the men find themselves finally understanding the others. Julia just as Hurt does show that the two connect in more than any attraction actually, since Julia never really ever portrays it that even though technically speaking it becomes sexual that is not really the important part of it. It is instead frankly purer understanding he portrays that he has with Molina that brings him into truly loving the man. Their relationship in the end is not made memorable through their single sexual scene, which the film carefully and quickly deals with anyway, but rather the mark they leave on one another that the actors brings to life so well. Raul Julia's performance is simply incredible, absolutely succeeding with every aspect of his character, and as well working with perfect harmony with William Hurt to create an unforgettable impression.

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Alternate Best Actor 1985

And the Nominees Were Not:

Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future

Jonathan Pryce in Brazil

Raul Julia in Kiss of the Spider Woman

Tim Curry in Clue

Jeff Daniels in The Purple Rose of Cairo 


A year without a single actor yet to be nominated for an Oscar, good luck on your predictions.

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My commencement speech to the Class of '12

It's the same one that I gave last year's graduates but wisdom is worth re-posting.

June
is the graduation time of year. I guess a hundred years ago those
commencement speakers were inspiring and offered thoughts and insights
that were new and fresh. But now, Jesus! Be
your own person. Never give up. You have a responsibility to society.
Success comes from within. Show courage. You can

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: Results

5. Jeff Bridges in Fearless- Bridges shoots for the sky but never quite reaches the heights that his performance wants to reach.

4. Kevin Costner in A Perfect World- Costner in a very atypical fashion dominates his film well, as well as gives a moving portrait of a man wounded by abuse.

3. David Thewlis in Naked- Thewlis gives an outstanding performance that is a fascinating portrayal of drifter, that is extremely watchable.

2. Bill Murray in Groundhog Day- This is just a great performance by Bill Murray that is both a hilarious joy that makes this film enjoyable to watch all the way through, but as well does realistically portray his character's life changing realizations.

1. Michael Douglas in Falling Down- I must say although I certainly very much enjoying watching and reviewing these great performances foolishly ignored by the academy, I have to say just like last year this was an insanely difficult one to choose since I love Douglas, Thewlis and Murray equally in their roles. This again is not so much a win, but rather just a current decision I really feel a rewatch of any of three could tilt the scales. Nevertheless at the moment I give to Douglas who gives both an incredibly viscerally effective performance that pierces through every scene, but he as well shows a moving portrait of a man completely lost in the ills of modern society.

Overall Ranking of the Year:

1. Michael Douglas in Falling Down
2. Bill Murray in Groundhog Day
3. David Thewlis in Naked
4. Liam Neeson in Schindler's List
5. Daniel Day-Lewis in In the Name of the Father
6. Jeff Daniels in Gettysburg
7. Robert Duvall in Falling Down
8. Kevin Costner in A Perfect World
9. Clint Eastwood in In the Line of Fire
10. Al Pacino in Carlito's Way 
11. Harrison Ford in The Fugitive
12. Anthony Hopkins in The Remains of the Day
13. Sam Neill in Jurassic Park
14. Tom Cruise in The Firm
15. Kurt Russell in Tombstone
16. Jeff Bridges in Fearless 
17. Johnny Depp in What's Eating Gilbert Grape
18. Christian Slater in True Romance
19. Tom Hanks in Philadelphia
20. Laurence Fishburne in What's Love Got To Do With It
21. Denzel Washington in Philadelphia

The Next Year Will Be 1985

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: Jeff Bridges in Fearless

Jeff Bridges did not receive and Oscar nomination for portraying Max Klein in Fearless.

Fearless is film about a man dealing with his new found fearlessness after surviving a terrible plane crash, the film itself is well made, but I always felt it was never nearly as moving as it wanted to be.

Jeff Bridges is an actor I must admit I liked more before I started reviewing his performances. This really is mainly because most of the performances are saw of him beforehand are relatively lighter performances where is unique charm and humor came into play. When he goes for more complex portrayals I can't say he always succeeds. Here Bridges goes for something unique as well as quite strange as he portrays the man who lost all his fears because a traumatic accident. Bridges actually attempts to show almost an otherworldly quality to his performance as the character of Max Klein frankly feels between the world of the living and the dead.

I hate to say it, and I know many will disagree with me, but I just was not all that impressed by his performance here which is for a great while rather repetitive. He keeps giving that same stare as if he is looking between life and death a lot of the time, while usually smiling in his Bridges sort of fashion, while still seeming to be perfectly detached at the same time as well. His detachment goes away randomly, but it does goes away at times. Sometimes in the form of anger at those seeking to trivialize the tragedy, or just at those who do not understand because they were not part of it. There is not really a lot of method to this side of Max, but nor does there really need to be.

Now what did not astound me about this performance is I never really felt Bridges achieved that otherworldly quality he most certainly is looking to portray. He certainly tries to but I more of saw always as Bridges just being stuck in the same slightly out of it stare for most of it. Now I do not want to be mistaken I do no think in any way shape or form Bridges is bad here, especially achieving what Bridges is going for here is most certainly not easy task, but nevertheless I have to say I never did feel Bridges reached the place in his performance. Because he does not reach the point he needs to the performance never quite comes to life as vividly as it needs to be.

In the scene where he does break the mold actually do work well enough, they do not have a great deal lasting impact on the overall characterization really since Bridges portrays them as random as they should be considering his character's state of mind. Bridges shows the quick outbursts of anger pretty well as they are quick sharp and to the point, less impressive for me is his big scene where he tests his fear by standing on the very edge of a building looking down. This scene should be the powerful pivotal moment for the performance, but Bridges whole portrayal of it seems like he is just going through the motion of a powerful scene more than making it a truly powerful scene.

There is not anything about this performance that ever became as outstanding as it should be, he never really drove the film to the degree he should have. Much like the film itself it is always a work that wants to be more than it really ends up being. Bridges though really is never bad though either I should point this out as he does still portray the emotions as they should be I suppose for the character in mind, but as you might notice I am mentioning this in a very technical fashion because it only ever felt Bridges' performance to be technically good in almost every aspect, never turning into a great one.

Bridges does have one moment in his performance that I feel shows what might have been the rest of his performance which is when it shows the scene on the plane just when he it is about to crash. In this scene Bridges finally does seem to achieve that otherworldly quality, and shows exactly how good the rest of his performance could have scene. It is a very remarkable scene and Bridges finally creates this feeling of being in the in between. This scene only really serves in showing just how good he possibly could have been through the entire film, but for me this is the only great moment in an otherwise adequate performance.

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The Teenage Fair

Here's another excerpt from my new book, THE ME GENERATION... BY ME (GROWING UP IN THE '60s).   You can get yours in Kindle or paperback.   It's a fun read and a great way to support this blog so I'm not forced to sell fruit at freeway offramps. 


The Hollywood Palladium was an art deco theater built in the’40s in Hollywood to stage big band concerts. In the ’60s it was the spring break home

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: Bill Murray in Groundhog Day

Bill Murray did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Phil Connors in Groundhog Day.

Groundhog Day is a very enjoyable film that tells the story of a weatherman who covers the groundhog ceremony in Punxsutawney, but finds he is reliving the same day over and over again and he is the one who knows it.

Groundhog Day is much like It's Wonderful Life, and even more so like A Christmas Carol in that it is about the main character having a growing realization, and change for the better. Bill Murray performance entails the journey of this realization of Phil Connors, but since it is Bill Murray pre-Rushmore he is going for laughs all along the way as well. Here Murray screen persona of the time is perfect for this role, and from the beginning he could not be better as the snarky meteorologist prima donna who thinks very very little of his assignment to a small time to cover an event he has absolutely no respect for whatsoever.

Murray really is a master at playing a jerk in the film. What works so well about his portrayal is the fact that he most certainly does not avoid portraying the more negative qualities, and his smug and cynical behavior is always on full view. What is interesting though is that even though he avoids being a jerk in the role, Murray still manages to be likable nevertheless and very funny. Murray plays the moments when Phil is suppose to be obnoxious such as when he is constantly ridiculing the idea of the Groundhog Day with perfect wit and sarcasm that he both still fits what his character needs to be doing as well as still not being ever actually obnoxious at all.

Eventually though the story springs into action and Phil finds himself reliving the same day over and over and over and over again and again and again. Murray is excellent in this process and he brings us right in there with him as this is one of the very best examples of Murray's particular charm. Yes of course he was smug man just minute ago, but since Murray played that with humor he still is very easy to follow along the rest of the way. Murray particular comedic presence is perfect for this situation, since unlike many comedians Murray's whole style rarely has him act out in just a look at me sort of fashion, even when he screams Murray still makes it grounded within a character.

Murray makes his way through every one these days with excellent precision. Early on when he is mostly just confused by this very strange thing that is happening to him, Murray does actually realistically portray this. He shows that Phil is not horrified, since after all this is not a horrible day, but Murray appropriately convinces us just how taken aback he is by the entire process. In the early days Phil just decides to exploit the day since he faces no consequences for whatever he does. Murray here simply has a lot of fun, and is consistently funny as Phil just does random stuff for the thrill of it.

In the middle though he sets on his sight on his kind but in some ways no nonsense producer Rita (Andie McDowell), and tries to gain knowledge from an infinite amount of encounters to try to seduce here. Again Murray is terrific here as he shows Phil has pretty much just a one track mind, but also more deeply this is quite the shallow pursuit at the moment. There is no want for a deeper connection here just more of a chance to score pretty much, and Murray makes no excuses. Interestingly despite the fact that the group of moments are technically repetitive they never get boring because Murray consistently keeps them fresh with his always enjoyable reactions and little jokes he makes in every realization.

After his repeated failures we have a set of scenes in which Phil commits suicide in various ways to try to end the cycle, but finds he has absolutely no results. This actually here is an outstanding achievement on Murray's part because not only do these never seem in bad taste their in fact hilarious all because of Murray's portrayal. What is fascinating though is Murray even does show the depression fittingly for his situation, but nevertheless his well for the lack of a better word delivery of the suicide scenes are pitch perfect hilarity. Everyone of these could have gone terribly wrong, but Murray makes everyone go absolutely right.

Once his suicides all fail to end the cycle, he finally instead just tries to better himself, and be the best that he can actually be. What works about this is Murray does not really show it to be Phil becoming a new man, but rather making a transition to really what he always could have been. Murray is excellent here because he does not become boring, but frankly his wit is still there is just comes to serve better things. It is a realization that Murray portrays not a change. Murray genuinely shows that Phil simply does find the beauty, and the joy  to be had of his surroundings that was always there.

This is a terrific achievement by Bill Murray because he not only is a great comedic performance, but it does actually is a emotionally convincing one as well. He is the perfect jerk as well as the charming romantic lead, even though I should say his chemistry with McDowell works a great deal because it is not overly romantic, but that really is the perfect tone for the relationship. Really if the lead actor was not someone who is such a joy with to be with through everyone of the groundhog days the film would have not worked. Murray brings this joy to every scene though with his truly memorable work here that is probably his personal best.

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Friday Questions

As I head down to San Diego for a weekend of broadcasting Mariners games on 710 ESPN Seattle, MLB.COM, and the Mariners Radio Network, here are this week’s Friday Questions.

God Shammgod is up first.


Do you prefer a compact set or a bigger one? Remember when "I Love Lucy" moved the action from the cramped apartment set to the huge farm set? It didn't seem to work as well.

If the show is

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: Michael Douglas in Falling Down

Michael Douglas did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying William "D-Fens" Foster in Falling Down.

Falling Down is an effective film about an unemployed man who lashes at what sees as the flaws of society. At the same time a Detective (Robert Duvall) on his last day before retirement attempts to follow his path of destruction.

Although one can easily look at Falling Down at an easy exploitation feature without all of the scenes taking out flaws and annoyances of society such as traffic, seemingly pointless construction, gangs, bad fast food and more, it is kept from that through the lead performances and characters by Robert Duvall and Michael Douglas. Douglas is always a man in the role of William Foster the former defense contractor worker before being a force of nature against society. I should also say that Robert Duvall is also great in that nearly as flashy role, but important in ground the film as well as acting as the other side of the coin of Douglas's character.

At the beginning of the film we know nothing of Foster other than he seems to be a white collar worker who seems to be stuck in traffic. Douglas from the very beginning though shows that this man most certainly is ready to crack at any moment. You can see all of the pressure building inside of him. There really  is a great dynamic between his clean cut hair cut and his proper shirt and tie, compared to Michael Douglas' face although also in many ways technically proper, after all he is not screaming out yet, but there is most certainly some sort of hell going on inside of this man's mind. It is a initial image that perfectly sets up the rest of Douglas's portrayal of Foster.

After this opening sequence we he finally just up and leaves his car to walk home is when his rampage begins. Douglas's slow and deliberate rampage is a peculiar one but brilliantly portrayed. His path begins small enough and at first he really is not instantly hostile just trying to do things as he clearly always had beforehand which is being a proper man in society. Douglas interestingly shows that this is that Foster really is all a bit of a stiff, and Douglas brilliantly portrays him as such. This is brilliant though because Douglas knows how to be a stiff without a being dull or boring which certainly would be the easier approach. Douglas  though always has this incredible energy always bubbling just underneath.

In every one of his scenes of outbursts Douglas is extremely effective, and makes the scenes work as well as they possibly could actually. In all of the scenes there is the same troubled emotional state there, which slowly becomes worse and worse as he gets closer to home. Douglas shows how Foster every scene with the utmost efficiency, and his style pretty much goes along with the severity of the societal annoyance. Douglas mediates the rage perfectly in the role to bring out the right reaction in each and every one of his scenes. What is amazing though is that he is both harsh at times fittingly when he does yell showing the rage of Foster at society, but as well he keeps quieter moments in these scenes as well.

Douglas is incredibly chilling in these scenes when he is cold and very blunt in basically showing Foster coming up with judgments regarding dealing with the people. In particular his moment where after a group of gang members fail to kill him in a drive by and crash Douglas does not in anger confront the last living one rather he shows it in a more business like approach, since at the moment Foster is in charge completely. His target practice with the gang member's leg is made frightening by Douglas by just how much he underplays the moment, and shows just how incisive Foster he is about the whole thing.

Something truly special about Douglas's performance though is that he even manages to bring some humor to his performance strangely enough. Obviously the humor of his performance eventually leaves where he gets closer and closer to the end of his rope, but Douglas miraculously manages to bring it even in the roughest of scene without it ever seeming out place. This is really because Douglas takes the few comedic lines he has in along with all of his anger in a quick precise places the work in perfect harmony with the rest of the scene. He doesn't overplay these small moments but he still makes them noticeable that in fact stop his performance from being overbearing as this character easily could have been.

Although this is an extremely effective performance in a visceral sense, but what makes this performance truly something special is the portrait of this man whom Douglas creates. Even though in the end Foster is the villain after all, Douglas never portrays him as such, and instead successfully turns him into a tragic character. Douglas even though does portray Foster as unstable, but not necessarily in nature a terrible man. Douglas rather portrays him as having gone this way in a great number of circumstances, on being his own belief in basically the American dream that he never achieved despite desperately trying to do.

Douglas's final scenes where Foster and Duvall's finally meet is the pivotal moment of the film. Douglas here shows the full extent of how the day has finally worn Foster into a psychotic rage, and his final breaking point at the end of the day. It is a complex moment because he does not turn him into just the rage, but always constantly as well there is the pain of seeing everything that he has lost to bring him to this point. When he is finally confronted by Duvall, Douglas is absolutely heartbreaking in the moment when he realizes he is the bad guy, and that all of what he has done in life has amounted to almost nothing, even though as he puts it, he did everything they told him to. It is surprising moving moment, considering what Foster likely was going to do, but Douglas makes this way because he shows that it just did not have to be this way. This is a great performance by Michael Douglas it is powerful work with a tremendous impact that creates a complex memorable portrait of this man.

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All you ever wanted to know about Extras (people not the show)

Here’s an EXTRA Friday Question:

It’s from RichD.


So the recent mention of WINGS here inspired me to revisit the series on Netflix. While making my way through the first seasons I again noticed the older red-haired woman who worked at Roy's counter, which got me to wonder about the background performers who are the extra-equivalent of series regulars on various shows.



I would

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: Kevin Costner in A Perfect World

Kevin Costner did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Robert "Butch" Haynes in A Perfect World.

A Perfect World is an effective film about the man hunt for a man who has escaped from jail who takes a young boy hostage but ends up becoming a surrogate father to the boy.

Kevin Costner is not a favorite actor of mine as his only actual Oscar nominated performance found itself very close to the very bottom of my overall ranking of leading performances nominated for best actor. I can't say this is just a case of an actor being nominated for his worst though since I have not particularly cared for him in many other roles such as Waterworld and the Untouchables. My usual problems with his performance is there seems to be a distinct lack of conviction or interest in the roles themselves. For me this causes him to either come off as an excessively weak even when he is not suppose to be, or just plain dull as he was in Dances with Wolves.

Luckily though this is an unusual turn in many ways for Costner, and watching the film his performance most certainly acted as a pleasant surprise for me. In the role as the intelligent escaped convict who was abused by his father, who is trying to escape the law Costner has the one thing here that he tends to lack in the role which is conviction. Kevin Costner here actually has a strong presence through the film and it is easy to follow him all the way though his attempt to avoid capture while trying as well to be a father figure to a boy who never had a good one just like himself. This is not a vastly different performance by Costner than his others in terms of his actual style but it is in terms of execution.

Costner still actually does sort of do his average man routine as he does in many of his films for better or in most cases for the worse, but here there is just the right twist in that he is portraying a criminal. He never portrays him as a thug of any sort and in most ways he treats him like a smarter but normal person who happen to go that path. I say most ways though because Costner actually infuses in his performance just the right amount of volatility and danger with his presence. Even though he makes Haynes seem like a nice enough man for the most part, there is always an underlying tension in Costner's performance to show Haynes's ability for violence when needed.

What I really like about this performance though is the intelligence of Haynes which Costner effectively brings to life. Costner keeps this rather all rather quiet through his performance as Haynes never shows off the fact that he is intelligent, he merely is. Costner brings this along well in his performance as he conveys the inner workings of Haynes through the film, he is a man who is constantly thinking, and attempting to figure a way out of his predicament. Costner also interestingly has the power in this performance he usually lacks. Here there is the similar type of presence that for example Clint Eastwood had in his younger days, which works perfectly to show strength of Haynes.

The main aspect of this performance though is Haynes's attempt to be a surrogate to the father he kidnapped, as well as dealing with his own feelings he feels toward his own father who abused him. I will say there is one big thing against Costner here and that is in the portrayal of the boy named Phillip played by T.J. Lowther. The problem is Lowther's performance at best is only okay, but rather bad when at his worse. Whenever there is a scene where he really is pressed to show emotional pain, or being distraught he just kind of makes a weird face like Eastwood was desperately trying to get something from the kid but that was the best he had.

Even with a lackluster co-star I still quite liked Costner's portrayal of Haynes's attempt to be a father. Costner is careful in that he does not overplay it to be some excessively heartfelt man ready to instantly become this boy's father. Costner instead shows a wounded soul just trying his best. He is never overbearing  in any way, and he shows it as just a natural reaction on Haynes's part. There is though just the right amount of warmth in his performance as he does his best to act in the father role for the boy, even though the connection never becomes quite as strong as I would like. The reason is though because of Lowther, if a better actor had been in that role it could have been astonishing. As it is though it stands as still moving due to Costner's effort but lacking on a whole due to Lowther.

Costner gives a strong performance throughout but the very highlight of his work comes in the very end of his work as the more violent side of Haynes appears when seeing a man habitually abusing his son as he had been. Costner is excellent here actually as he shows Haynes's rage over his own past his own hate at his father which becomes a intense hatred at this man just like his father. In this scene we gain a window into the troubled past of this man incredibly well handled by Costner. He really shows just how wounded this man is that has brought him to the terrible point in his life. For me this is a powerful work by Costner, and I was surprised how moving his final scenes actually ended being for me. This easily Costner's best work that I have seen, although that technically speaking seems like a low standard, this performance raises my view of Costner considerably.

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Adam Carolla is a moron!

Adam Carolla’s comments in the NEW YORK POST this week are so unbelievably stupid they almost don’t dignify a response. Here’s a portion of the interview. 


POST: The lesson you learned from a sexual harassment seminar was “Don’t hire chicks.” Do you hate working with women?



CAROLLA: No. But they make you hire a certain number of chicks, and they’re always the least funny on the writing

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Alternate Best Actor 1993: David Thewlis in Naked

David Thewlis did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Johnny in Naked.

Naked is a bleak but fascinating film about a drifter of sorts who flees from Manchester to London where he drifts some more. I do have to say though the evil landlord subplot and character was a bit much, or maybe it was just Greg Cruttwell's performance which seemed a little to cartoony especially considering the rest of the performances in the film.

David Thewlis was not nominated for his performance despite winning Cannes and several important critic awards including NYCC for best actor. This I suppose it easy enough to explain as the Oscars sometimes aversion to negative characters, although it should be noted Laurence Fishburne was nominated for portraying an abusive husband, but I suppose his character was domineering. Thewlis perhaps is just a little too haggard and downtrodden for the academy, or maybe it is because he is not obviously evil like Ike Turner was in this film, and his character is in many ways one big gray area.

Thewlis in this film really does not learn any lessons as David and almost seems to be in the same place at the end as he was at the beginning of the film. His various experiences seem to effect him very little, and it seems almost everything that he does is basically because there is nothing better to do with his time. He recognizes the fact of his place in society and life, he is sort of angry about, but he is never going to do anything about it either. He really is a character without a purpose yet he is the character we follow through most of the film, and the only think that seems to really get a rise out of him is a random beating.

Thewlis therefore has quite a challenge on his hands in his performance as Johnny, as he must carry a film as a character who at times just regulates himself to a chair and stare to pass the time. Thewlis though meets this challenge with his performance as Johnny as he has a strange charisma and magnetism in the role. It's hard not to watch Thewlis as Johnny as there is a certain way Johnny moves, and talks that it is immanently watchable. Thewlis does not do this though by trying to show some sort of more likable aspect of Johnny, he consistently makes Johnny as shaggy as he should be, but he brings us in with his unique presence nevertheless.

Thewlis creates a vivid and memorable portrait of this drifter. He never quite says exactly what has brought Johnny there, but he does not need to because of his flawlessly creation of this man's current state. Thewlis never strives away from all of Johnny's flaws which there are many of. Thewlis is always very casual in the role, nothing seems to be the most important thing for Johnny at any moment. Whatever Johnny happens to be doing, Thewlis usually displays the slightest bit of disinterest in Johnny at all times. Even when he goes and seduces a woman for some immediate pleasure, Thewlis is clear at showing as not some big broad gesture of love, but just something to reduce boredom.

If there is a cause or basis for Johnny's behavior it might in fact be something he can not do anything about such as a clinical depression, and Thewlis suggests that this just might be the case for Johnny. Thewlis amazingly actually makes this possibility far more painful but subtly suggesting that having it as an overbearing factor. This depression always seem to be underlying in his eyes which leads to his lack of interest with so many things, and his inability to ever becomes something. Thewlis shows a certain pain always bearing on him that he never seems to shake in the way he is always so cramped in his stance like he is sick, or the way even when he smiled that even seems a tad forced even when he means it.

What is important about this performance though is that although Johnny usually is quite a bored individual this is never a boring performance by Thewlis. There is lyrical quality at times to his work that really brings to life Johnny uncommon outlook on life. I particularly love his long scene with a night security guard with tedious duties who invites Johnny in to talk. As odd as it might sound it is quite a joy to watch Thewlis bring out Johnny various opinions on so many subjects whether it is the end of the world, God, or the tediousness of the security guard's job. It is incredible and unique fashion that Thewlis goes off on all of these subjects and no matter how far off the deep end Johnny might be it is made fascinating by Thewlis.

Thewlis never becomes dull in the least in his portrayal even though his character is in a funk through almost the entire film. The only time he breaks out of this funk is actually caused by a group of men who randomly decide to attack and beat Johnny for awhile. Here Thewlis is absolutely amazing because he shows that his casual constant depression is broken, and all of his deepest fears held by that finally come out. Thewlis shows bluntly the pains of Johnny all coming out at the same in an absolutely striking sequence, as he falls apart losing that disinterest that permeated through the rest of his portrayal.

The important part of Thewlis's performance in the end is that he shows that even after the beating, all that Johnny decides to do is regain that form of distance and disinterest and revert to it. Thewlis is not afraid to shows that Johnny really has learned nothing from his various adventures, and meetings with the different people. All Johnny as been doing according to Thewlis is going about the same drift, the beating only breaks that for a moment it does not cure, as the way it should be. This is just an amazing performance by Thewlis, wit a role that very easily could have gone a numerous ways. Thewlis though keeps this as a truly compelling performance of a man lost in London as well as in his own mind.

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Random rants

Otherwise known as "Short attention-span blogging"…

There’s something terribly wrong when the animated episode of COMMUNITY is eligible for an Emmy but not episodes of existing animated series.  I say THE SIMPSONS should kill Bart and submit it for Best Drama. 

Arsenio Hall is back. He’ll have a late-night talk show next fall. Can Joan Rivers, Magic Johnson, Tempest Bledsoe, Craig

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Alternate Best Actor 1993

And the Nominees Were Not:

Kevin Costner in A Perfect World

Michael Douglas in Falling Down

Jeff Bridges in Fearless

Bill Murray in Groundhog Day

David Thewlis in Naked

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Welcome to the Hotel Zico California

Spent the weekend in Northern California. Attended the graduation ceremonies at Stanford. My daughter-in-law, Kim received her doctorate in Electrical Engineering. I offered to punch-up her thesis but she said no, it was funny enough. We’re all very proud of her. My dad asked if she could prescribe marijuana.

Needless to say, finding a room anywhere between Gilroy and Daly City on

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My Next Life by Woody Allen

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Alternate Best Actor 1971: Results

5. Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs- Hoffman performance is not overly interesting early on but he more than makes up for it in his brutal last act change.

4. Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry- Eastwood gives a incredibly strong performance as both a commanding and humorous leading man, as well as in his portrayal of a driven police officer.

3.  Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- Wilder gives a entertaining performance that is both darkly funny as well as genuinely heart warming.

2. Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange- McDowell gives a terrific unforgettable performance that creates a truly disturbing portrait of a youthful man who gets his joys through violent depravity.

1. Michael Caine in Get Carter- I must say this is exceedingly close, and that really does include Eastwood and Wilder as well. All four are amazing performance and each are arguably the best performances from each actor. Nevertheless for the moment I give it to Caine for his incredible performance as a cold professional killer, whose want is revenge is unstoppable.

Overall Rank of the year I also included a few performances I do not intend to review in the future.

1. Michael Caine in Get Carter
2. Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange
3. Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
4. Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry
5. Gene Hackman in The French Connection
6. Peter Finch in Sunday Bloody Sunday
7. Topol in Fiddler on the Roof
8. James Coburn in Duck, You Sucker!
9. Timothy Bottoms in The Last Picture Show 
10. Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs
11. George C. Scott in The Hospital
12. Peter Ostrum in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
13. Rod Steiger in Duck, You Sucker!
14. Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever
15. Donald Sutherland in Klute
16. Walter Matthau in Kotch

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