90. Dustin Hoffman, I ♥ Huckabees
Its been a long while since Hoffman has given a performance that impressed me, in fact, save for the minor bright spot Wag the Dog, the last time Hoffman was truly Hoffman was Tootsie, twenty-four years ago. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to see his work in David O. Russell's film. Hoffman's work may not take centre stage but he manages to turn out an absolutely ebullient performance. His Bernard Jaffe, spouting on about transcending space and time and interconnectedness, is an absolute joy. He seems to sing every one of his lines, perfectly in touch with the nuances of Russell's writing and direction, adding to both the role and the film tremendously.
89. Topher Grace, In Good Company
In Good Company is a film that means terribly well but can never seem to get off the ground. All the ingredients for success are there: good writer/director, good cast, good story, but the film ends up less than the sum of its parts: plodding, uneven and, it its final third, falling back on cliched ideas. None of this, however, is the fault of Topher Grace. The young actor wipes clean the dreaded memory of That 70s Show with one fell swoop. He imbues the film with an energy otherwise missing, giving in a performance that crackles with energy, spark and wit- it seems like the role Grace was born to play. There's a moment in Ocean's 12 where Grace playing an exaggerated version of himself says, mid-breakdown, that he phoned in "That Dennis Quaid movie"-- that line couldn't be further from the truth.
88. Jamie Foxx, Ray
This performance is listed here almost despite itself. During the whole Oscar hoopla in early '05 where you couldn't watch an award ceremony without seeing Jamie Foxx do that call and response thing and bring up that damn dead grandma of his, my feelings on his performance went from kinda liking it to an absolute all consuming hatred. Foxx's Oscar is not the product of his work here but simply that it checks all the boxes necessary: play real person, play real dead person, play real dead person who just died, actorly mannerisms (read: mimicry), media worship, previously undervalued actor makes good. Despite all that I can admit that this IS a good performance, Foxx is engaging and charismatic and he certainly channels Ray Charles perfectly. But, alas, it is just that: Foxx acting just like Charles is no great feat, all the actor is doing her is mimicking without giving the audience any real character to grasp. Why people always confuse this sort of thing with great acting continues to astound me.
And now I just read this and realised that I haven't really given any reason why this performance made this list at all. The thing is it is enjoyable: Foxx has the charisma to carry the plodding film and to entertain. I most surely like this performance (maybe even quite a bit) but it is vastly overrated.
87. Paul Bettany, Dogville
Lars von Trier's Brechtian condemnation on American society and, in fact, society at large is an enthralling iconoclast piece of work that, while far from perfect, is certainly chilling and mesmerizing. This, of course, is in no small part due to the wonderful cast of actors he has lined up: Nicole Kidman, Patricia Clarkson, Lauren Bacall, James Caan, Chloe Sevigny, Stellan Skarsgard, Ben Gazzara, Harriett Andersson, Philip Baker Hall, the list goes on and on. The cream of the this bountiful crop is Paul Bettany. The actor, who constistenly turns in wonderful work, takes the role of Tom Edison and milks it for all its worth: embracing the character's false sense of entitlement and superiority, his delusions on who he is and creating a performance that despite the very nature of the exercise taking place manages to connect with the viewer on both an intellectual and emotional level and thus make a remarkable impact.
86. Leonardo DiCaprio, Catch Me If You Can
Leonardo DiCaprio's renaissance as both an actor and a star is possibly one of the most wonderful turn of events I can think of, for he is so consistently undervalued. Now I know that sounds ridiculous but its true, while he's certainly not undervalued as a star (there's a good reason every one got sick of him and that reason is called Titanic) but he is, at least in cineaste circles, underrated as an actor. He is not always at the top of his game but when his is, as in this joyous Spielberg film, he more than proves his worth. As Frank Abagnale, Jr., DiCaprio brings all the charm, cunning and whimsy needed to make this a bravura turn. He spins a web so delicious that you instantly understand just how this young guy can get away with everything he does. This is a performance that perfectly illustrates not only DiCaprio's generous talent but his charisma and star quality as well.
85. Kevin Bacon, Mystic River
Kevin Bacon's work in Mystic River is almost always overlooked. Who can you blame though? In a cast as rich as this its easy for different people to be affected by different performances, but while everyone was salivating over Tim Robbin's Oscar-winning performance, I was enraptured by Bacon's quiet and slowly brewing work as Detective Sean Devine. Consider the scenes where Devine sits alone in his apartment talking to his wife over the phone even though she won't answer back or his first scenes scanning the crime scene of his friend's daughter's death. Both are razor sharp depictions of a man who at first appears stoic but in reality is almost bursting at the seams. Bacon is perfect at playing these sort of characters, knowing just how to create a balance between emotion and reserve- Its just as Robert De Niro once said "It's important not to indicate. People don't try to show their feelings, they try to hide them,". Bacon understands this completely.
84. Steve Coogan, 24 Hour Party People
I've already gushed about Steve Coogan in the last post so I'll try to keep this short:
This performance is too fucking awesome for you to handle.
There. I'm exaggerating, a little, but who the fuck cares?
83. Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man
Here's where we start to raise eyebrows. Some of you may scoff and others may simply dismiss me as an idiot, but I ask you: how could Maguire have performed this character any better? The most fascinating thing about Spider-Man is Peter Parker and Maguire understands this and puts his energies into creating a fully fleshed-out characterization. His big blue eyes immediately convey all the innocence, burden and openness that are the core of this character. Finding the perfect amount of vulnerability that is so necessary for this confused teenager. That isn't to say that there isn't anything else, when he's all suited up in his costume swinging from skyscraper to skyscraper and saving Mary Jane from the clutches of the Green Goblin, Maguire shows that he's upto the task of being an action hero perfectly; at ease both in and out of the costume.
82. Mike White, Chuck and Buck
This film is possibly one of those on this list that most people have assuredly not seen and that, my friends, is a great pity. Few films can create the strange sense of whimsy and uneasiness that Chuck and Buck pulls off. While director Miguel Arteta deserves a handful of the credit, so does Mike White who not only stars but wrote the film too. The performance is a dangerous wire act and White is careful not to ever empathize with Buck but also never condescend to him. White also manages to convey all the longing and desperation in the character all with a few glances, never retreating into full-blown histrionics. However, the true wonderment in performance is how White never becomes self-aware, he portrays Buck throughout the film as the man-child who refuses to understand what he is doing and the consequences of his actions.
81. Tony Leung, 2046
Tony Leung's performance in this film is of course a sequel to his work in In the Mood for Love. Leung is however too great an actor to simply give the same performance twice. He understands the great changes Mr. Chow has gone through and ages him appropriately. There's very little left of the nice young man who rented an apartment all those years ago and Leung perfectly illustrates the erosion of happiness in the character. The new Mo Wan is sullen and loveless , treating all the women that he meets with contempt and a hint of misogyny- it seems that now that his Great Love is gone, he has very little left to make him happy. It is in his scenes with Faye Wong's character that Leung is truly inspired: as the young girl enthralled in love confides in him, Leung shows us flashes of the old Mo Wan- still the hopeless romantic.
No comments:
Post a Comment