“I, along with the critics, have never taken myself very seriously.”

This month, courtesy of CS of Big Thoughts From A Small Mind, the LAMB is paying tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. I’d meant to celebrate Ms. Taylor’s birthday earlier this year by doing the usual top 5s, but other responsibilities prevented me. It’s been over a month since her death, but now’s as good a time as any for a retrospective Elizabeth top 5.

    

Angela Vickers in A Place in the Sun (1951)

“Seems like we always spend the best part of our time just saying goodbye.”

            

Elizabeth’s Angela is often forgotten. She didn’t earn an Oscar nod for it, and Stevens film endures less for her contribution and more for its general grace (with the exception of Alice Adams alone, perhaps Stevens films always seem to tower over their actors). Yet, I remember Angela. Elizabeth’s still in that limbo between child prodigy and smouldering temptress and the performance exudes that self-effacing sincerity which I find appealing. And, that final scene is just a beauty.

        

Gloria Wandrous in BUtterfield 8 (1960)

“Mama, face it: I was the slut of all time.”

Maggie Pollitt in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958)

“Maggie the cat is alive. I’m alive.”

Both Maggie and Gloria depend on that vaguely vampish charm which Elizabeth is often remembered for, but for a number of cinephiles they exist on opposite ends of Elizabeth’s spectrum of talent. I love The Apartment, and Shirley MacLaine in it, but I’m always unable to succumb to the general loathing surrounding BUtterfield 8. In fact, other than that ghastly ending I’m a fan of the film itself. Yes, Maggie is significantly more iconic – as is Cat On A Hot Tin Roof I remember them both as fine performances.

                   

Katharina in The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

“Of all things living, a man’s the worst!”

            

Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1968)

“You’re flops. I’m the earth mother and you’re all flops.”

            

It is perhaps not accidental that my two favourite performances of Elizabeth are opposite the excellent Richard Burton. For me, Elizabeth’s natural cadence is marked by her ability to go to toe with her fellow actors. She’s not, for example, a Vanessa Redgrave who’s at her best with long monologues. So, it’s only natural with both Martha and Katharina the fact that she has all those combative moments opposite her co-stars contribute to brilliance in the performances.

           

These are only five, but Elizabeth has contributed a number of indelible performances to the screen. Which is your favourite?

“Woman to Woman”

Last week I gave a listing of films with duo-male leads, and this week it’s time for the women. There are a number of films which depend on strong female ensembles - The Hours, Hannah & Her Sisters, Howards End, Sense & Sensibility, but in each there’s always one player who takes precedence - if they were eligible you know who I'd vote for, right? For me, these five films below do a fine job of paying equal attention to both participants in the duo making for some strong girl on girl action. Interpret that as you will.
               
Melanie Lynskey and Kate Winslet in Heavenly Creatures (1994)

I know it subverts the entire film’s existence as a vehicle for Pauline’s development, but for me Heavenly Creatures doesn’t really begin until Juliet appears on screen. Lynskey and Winslet are two starkly different actresses, which allows them to do such good work opposite each other – added to their youth which makes their performances less pretentious than older actors might have played it. As far as screen-time goes, Juliet is a supporting player – but I can’t think of this one in any other way than as one with c0-leads.

Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment (1983)

I, with my high sense of cynicism, like to think of the Oscar win for Terms of Endearment as the most bogus picture win of the eighties – which is saying something considering the slate of winners that decade. The film itself doesn’t particularly hamper the mother and daughter bond of MacLaine and Winger, though a significant amount of it develops with them away from each other. At her best I’d support MacLaine’s win, though there are times I side with Winger. Either way, it’s a fine alliance.

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore in The Kids Are All Right (2010)

There’s little doubt in my mind that The Kids Are Right worked so well because of the alliance of Bening and Moore. It was the first thing that drew my interest to the project, and the chemistry they maintained throughout was what kept me interested in it long after. It’s not just because they’re playing lovers, there’s a striking rapport between them – even as actors (just watch them at the Golden Globes) and it’s that modulation which the film depends on.

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise (1991)

I feel a bit ridiculous admitting this, but for a long time I couldn’t warm up to Jodie Foster’s work in The Silence of the Lambs because I resented her winning Oscars not only over the Countess de Mereteiul but over one of the strongest female duos – Thelma and Louise. Excessive parodying has turned this into something of a cliché – but the redheaded twosome of Sarandon and Davis is a highpoint of the nineties. Of the five pairs on the list, I don’t think any complements each other as well as they did, but Sarandon has a way of working well with her women (even in lesser fare.)

Anne Baxter and Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950)

There are so many reasons that this one’s a classic. What ii find most interesting about All About Eve when it comes to the duo lead front is the fact that both Bette and Anne have brilliant scenes opposite each other, and on their own and yet the film still manages to foster excellent supporting roles for Celeste Holme and George Sanders (among others). Like with Amadeus last week, I can’t choose between Eve and Margot. Both women are legends of classic cinema, and both offer up legendary performances.
           

Do you think these five duos have evenly matched players? Which is your favourite? Who’s missing?

Cinematic Shakespeare, Part Two: The Ladies

I meant to post this yesterday, but alas - I was without internet (horrors). Well, today is the birthday of the Bard so moving on to the excellent women who have done brilliant things because of him.
    
Glenn Close as Queen Gertrude (Hamlet)

Coming off the one-two punch of Alex Fisher and Isabel de Merteuil, I suppose the idea of Close as Gertrude seems liked some outlandish casting from Zeffreli she still emerges as the finest characterisation of the Queen I’ve seen on film. It’s probably her theatrical roots coming to the surface. Gertrude, I suppose, emerges as one of the more ambiguous mothers from Shakespeare. Close manages to retain that ambiguity without making the character too sinister. At her best she manages to sustain that chemistry with Gibson while creating the same with Bates – without making Gertrude seem insincere.

Olivia Hussey as Juliet (Romeo & Juliet)

Olivia looks even younger than Leonardo, which makes her seem to even more of a wise choice for Juliet. As young as the characters are in the play, we often think of them as older and Olivia manages to juxtapose the generally adult desires of Juliet with the more fanciful, youthful portion. It’s an amalgamation that works, especially in the final moments of the film where she’s astounding. As with Whiting, it’s a real shame she never did something as special again.

Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Olivia (Twelfth Night)

On the most obvious levels Helena doesn’t seem like the obvious fit for Olivia, but the entire film is sort of ironic adaptation of the entire film. It’s somewhere between Helen Schlegel and Kate Croy but not anywhere as domineering and she’s easily the best in show – even if she’s not the traditional heroine of the play. To call her comedic skills subtle would be an understatement and despite the more obvious incongruities that exist between her and the character it’s the unobtrusive comedic gifts she uses to define a character who’s not quite funny but is at the centre of comedy.

Elizabeth Taylor as Katherina (The Taming of the Shrew)

I said before, I always think of the Shrew when I hear about Elizabeth Taylor. True, it’s not her best performance but it’s such a fine example of her at her most tenacious – which is what I remember her most for, as an actor and a person. She’s beautiful and terrible and performs with an astounding comedic timing – it’s as if the role was written with her in mind.

Emma Thompson as Beatrice (Much Ado About Nothing)

It only makes sense that the finest female Shakespearean performance comes from a thoroughly British actor. I can’t think of any actor, of her generation, who so seems to so easily encapsulate the spirit of the Shakespearean era. Shakespeare, at its heart, is about its words and Emma Thompson wins easy points for her excellent enunciation. She’s just perfect here.

Later in the afternoon I'll have the closing with a special top 5.
                  

Which of these ladies impresses you most?

Cinematic Shakespeare, Part One: The Gents

I’ve have an unbridled intellectual love affair with Shakespeare since I was ten. Even saying it I can tell how strange it sounds, but it began with the condensed Lamb’s “Tales From Shakespeare” and then into the actual plays by the time I hit the teens. It’s probably his prolific nature which appeals to me most, though I suppose his brilliance plays a part. How am I celebrating his birthday this weekend? By a three-part post celebrating his performances inspsired by his brilliance.

          
Laurence Fishburne as Othello (Othello)

As an aside: I wish that Laurence Fishburne could get a another role worthy of his goodness. He earned his lone Oscar nomination for What’s Love Got to Do With It, but I’m even fonder of his Othello. I often think of the play as Shakespeare’s flawed masterpiece – that pivotal third act is so difficult to establish and it’s so imperative to Othello’s transformation. Fishburne, though, pulls it off. He out performs Shakespearean stalwart Branagh, although in Branagh’s defence Iago is an impossibly difficult character to play....

              

Kenneth Branagh as Benedick (Much Ado About Nothing)

....and then, Branagh has such a hidden talent for the comedic. I’m not even that fond of the actual play Much Ado About Nothing, but a competent play (one of the Bard’s lesser works – for me) turns into a fine film and Branagh’s Benedick is a significant part of that. He has just the right of amount of self-confidence to be willing to perform the most ridiculous of characterisations making it all work excellently.

              

Richard Burton as Petruchio (The Taming of the Shrew)

I can’t speak for others, but I always remember Burton as an actor notorious for having fun in his roles. It always shows, for me, even when he’s tackling more serious fare like Becket or The Robe that tinge of irreverence is always noticeable and in The Taming of the Shrew it’s put to brilliant use. Depending on which perspective you take this is already one of Shakespeare’s most satirical pieces and Burton is a perfect

                                         

Laurence Olivier as Hamlet (Hamlet)

I wrote ad nauseum on three film versions of Hamlet and I grudgingly gave Olivier top honours. Well, perhaps not grudgingly. He’s not really right for the part and yet he’s excellent in it. His Hamlet finds the sensuality in a character that seems almost facile in his constant indecision. It’s not really Shakespeare’s Hamlet, much too wise and with too much savoir faire, but it’s so difficult to bet against Olivier.

        

Leonard Whiting as Romeo (Romeo & Juliet)

I shall always placate myself with the fact that Whiting (along with Hussey) picked up the Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer. It’s scant consolation, but I’m superstitious enough to believe that an Oscar nomination might have seen him having a more fruitful career. He easily towers over any the male actors I’ve seen tackle Shakespeare, not least of all because he actually seems to be age appropriate. Still, it’s more than that – the story is remembered as an incessant part of pop culture today and Romeo is never remembered as one of the more assiduous of Shakespeare’s heroes; but Whiting’s performance is incredible any way you put it.

          
Tomorrow the women.
          

Which of these gents would top your Shakespearean list? Who did I miss?

“Man to Man”

This idea had been ruminating in my head for some time, but it was watching the pilot for Boardwalk Empire again, the other day, that really solidified it in my head – films with duo male leads. I’m curious to see what will happen when the Emmy’s come around, I suppose Buscemi will be a shoo-in for a nod – but I’d love to see Michael Pitt get some love, although I’m almost certain they’ll push him in the Supporting Category and perform ultimate category fraud.

    

One of the great things about duo male leads, though, is seeing two fine actors play off each other. This week’s top 5 includes some actors at the top of their game playing off their peers.

        

Ethan Hawke and Denzel Washington in Training Day (2001)

On the earlier note of category fraud, few are as glaring as Hawke’s supporting actor nomination for Training Day (he’s actually my choice that year for Best Actor); but I’ll be honest – I’m glad he even got nominated. It’s my favourite performance from Washington, and the two play excellently off each other. Fuqua’s debut is well directed but

Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in Midnight Cowboy (1969)

None of the other films on the list are as indicative of male camaraderie as this one. I still think Voight and Hoffman are an odd pairing, and truth be told I don’t quite love the Midnight Cowboy (just like it fairly much) – it’s buoyed by the chemistry the two share, though. It’s a shame neither won their Oscars for their work here.

Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole in Becket (1964)

Jose, Luke and I had a go at this a few months ago – and I stand by my belief (regardless of what Luke thinks) that O’Toole and Burton are just brilliant opposite each other. I’ll admit, Becket sags on occasion but whenever Pete and Dick are at it – unencumbered by the somewhat iffy supporting cast – the film is at its best.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford in The Sting (1973)

Even though Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is the one that seems to have endured in (American) pop culture, I much prefer the Newman/Redford duo in The Sting, and not just because it won the Best Picture Oscar.The Sting is just a slick movie all-round, it's not Newman's best performance but this type of sleek alpha-male is the type of role he slinks into easily and he's great opposite Redford who's at his best here.

F. Murray Abraham and Tom Hulce in Amadeus (1984)

I won’t argue that Abraham was a commendable Oscar winner, but I always feel badly that so few care to remember that Tom Hulce was more than just competent as Mozart. It's an excellent juxtaposition, not only of characters but of acting styles. It's also the lone of the five films here where my favourite isn't glaringly obvious, in  fact I still can't say which of the two I prefer.

          

Which duo impresses you most? Any suggestions to augment the list?

“Someone has to die...”

Like in real life, deaths are a given in movies. Even if it’s one of those comedies where the death is extraneous – and off-screen, it’s still there. Some distant relative dies so the hero can inherit some important piece of land, or whatnot. Death scenes are a different thing; it’s sometimes difficult to show the act of death without seeming too heavy-handed. And then, sometimes it’s difficult to make that heavy-handedness work for your film. Most often we think of cinematic deaths in relation to tragic deaths of the main characters. Here’s an Introduction to my course in Cinematic Death; Death 101, if you will.

              

Spoilers ahead, naturally.

           

Death 1.1: The Ridiculous

(Key Contributors: Brad Pitt, Ethan and Joel Coen)

(Secondary Parties: George Clooney)

It’s probably wrong to think of death as a funny thing, but that’s essentially what the Coen’s are begging us to do. I will champion the atypical brilliance that is Burn After Reading until my dying day, it comprises one bit of crazy after another and though the death in question refers to the death of the film’s best character there’s no way to ignore the hilarity found in Chad’s death midway through the film.

Death 1.2: The Beautiful

(Key Contributors: Franco Zeffreli, Olivia Hussey, Leonardo Whiting)

People are not particularly beautiful in death, but Shakespeare’s not exactly working on logistics in Romeo & Juliet and neither is Zeffrelli for that matter. Suicide is painful, and unfortunate and tragic – but is there any way to deny the beauty in that shot? Olivia Hussey and Leonardo Whiting are kind of brilliant in that way – best casting in a Shakespearean adaptation.

Death 1.3: The Depressing

(Key Contributors: Anthony Minghella, Kristin Scott Thomas)

(Secondary Parties: Ralph Fiennes, Gabriel Yared)

There a number of deaths in The English Patient, but there’s something especially important about the expiration of Katherine Clifton. It’s probably a puzzle in itself to decide where the actual “death” begins. In a film of highly quotable characters, Katherine probably wins if only because her closing monologue in the cave is so lovely. What makes the death so much more depressing is the reality that it could have been avoided had it not been for something as inane as racism. That scene with Almasay carrying her out of the cave (aided by Yared’s score) is just perfect.

Death 1.4: The Gruesome

(Key Contributors: Matt Damon, Anthony Minghella)

(Secondary Parties): Jack Davenport, Gabriel Yared)

It was pure happenstance having two Minghella films turn up here (though my love for him is true). The odd thing about the death in question here is that it depends on the person dying but the person perpetrating it. Damon is so brilliant as Ripley here and that chilling closing to the film is disturbing, and gruesome not so much because of Peter dying but because Tom is so distraught by it. Of course, Jack Davenport with his self-effacing Peter is important as is Gabriel Yared’s brilliant score (I like to think of the 90s version of Alexandre Desplat).

Death 1.5: The Sanguine

(Key Contributors: Tim Burton, Albert Finney)

(Secondary Parties: Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito et al)

It’s weird thinking of any death as positive, but that’s just one of the weirdly great things about Big Fish – one of those odd films which manages to be better than its novel. Finney is so excellent here, and his death brings a sort of peace to the film. He’s managed to get his story off his chest and the moment is so much more profound because finally the father and son can stand on common ground and when the entire cast shows up for that moment at the lake at the end it’s just brilliant.

       

Which of these deaths strike you as most memorable? What would appear on your own list?

Oscar Talk: Dream Duos

I always like watching the road to the Oscars because it’s always cool seeing the nominees fraternising with each other; a bit like watching animals in their natural habitat or whatnot. Last year, I’d have given anything to see an eventual pair-up between Gabourey Sidibe and Carey Mulligan (they always seemed so chummy at events) or Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep. So, I made my own list – using the 20 nominees for the 2010 here are the five duos I’d most love to see.

          

Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner

I’ve always wanted to see Mark Ruffalo play an ultimately badass (though it is fun watching him play the ultimate stoner). And, with Renner being in good form throughout The Town playing the aggressive role for all its worth, I’d be much interested in seeing them battle it out as criminals at war. My limited imagination is seeing too much of The Departed playing out, which probably wouldn’t work as well. But, they’re such opposing technical forces it’d be interesting watching them battle it out.

Jennifer Lawrence and James Franco

I hate to sound superficial, but Jennifer Lawrence is so pretty I want to see her actually use that beauty (for good or ill) in a movie. And who better to pair her opposite than James Franco? That’s a whole lot of hotness. I don’t know why, though, but I’m now immediately flashing back to Bright Star (I swear, I can’t get that movie out of my head since we started studying Keats this semester). I’m not sure if either has a good British accent, but I wouldn’t be averse to seeing them in a period piece, but – really – I’m not that picky. Their aestheticism may distract me...

        

Amy Adams and Natalie Portman

Perhaps it’s the red hair that I’ve seen them each sport before, but don’t they seem like an obvious duo to play a sister/sister pair. One reason I hate the Oscars’ is because in cheering on our favourites there’s that tendency to end up (ostensibly at least) disliking the competition, but though I’m not backing her I do like Natalie Portman. I find her general nature quite charming, and I’m even fonder of Amy Adams. I can’t see how any casting director could go wrong pairing the two women opposite each other in a nice drama.

          

Annette Bening and Geoffrey Rush

Both Annette and Geoffrey have a stringent theatrical nature to them that’s often mistaken for histrionics (see Quills, Being Julia) and they’re both actors who work well opposite their respective scene partners. This makes me keenly interested in the idea of seeing them play opposite each other in something decidedly theatrical. Honest truth, the first idea that popped into my head was seeing them play opposite each other in Macbeth, but even something deliberately whimsical or anachronistic like a play within a play (a la Shakespeare in Love, or once again – Being Julia). Just think of the glorious shouting matches the two would have.

                

Helena Bonham Carter and Nicole Kidman

I have no idea what I’d want them to star in together, but it’s possible that this much brilliance in one film could make me combust. They’re at such opposite sides of the spectrum as actors it would be especially interesting to see what they’d be like in close proximity to each other – Kidman could be a younger stand-in for the Margaret Schlegel type in Howards End, even if I’m not in love with her British accent. But, really, I can’t be the only one who’d like to see them play against each other – they both have underrated (albeit brilliant) comedic performances. Perhaps, frenemies at war?

        

Of the twenty nominees, which pairing would you like to see come to fruition? How about adding one of the five director nominees to each of my would-be films?

“In Search Of A Good Role” : A Top 5 list

Damn, this is overdue. What was it...months ago....that Univarn published this fine list of actors who never get the love they deserve (Castor and Ruth followed with lists of their own). If you’re a good debater you can make a case for any number of actors not getting their due, but sometimes it’s especially piercing when some actors just never get that single role that you could point to as encapsulating all the talent they have....or worse the role will come and no will see the film (or care about the performance) – something as incidental as timing could be their downfall. These five actors immediately come to mind when I think of actors who don’t get their due. Some have already given brilliant performances, but they still have not reached that level of fame that their peers have....who knows why? More importantly they’re all relatively young thespians who seem to have so much potential but never get recognised for it. This is my shout-out to them...

                                      

Romola Garai

I was fascinated by Garai’s work in Atonement, she topped my supporting actress list that year...and yet of the five principal players she earned the least buzz for her performance. I’m still not sure why, because I still can’t think of anything in particular that’s off-putting about her performance. Saoirse’s Briony’s strongpoint was her eyes, Vanessa’s was her eyes – what Romola has is a countenance that you can’t help but find sympathetic (which is why she’s the perfect person to encapsulate the imaginary Briony of the middle act). It’s the same sort of thing she does in I Capture A Castle – a film I’m not fond of, but a performance that soars despite confinements from the script.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: Florence in Greenberg; don’t get me wrong – Greta Gerwig was lovely in Greenberg but wouldn’t that role be lovely for Romola? Effusively charming, adult and yet innocent and altogether winsome without being too perfect. I suppose that if she ever has a chance of getting the fame she deserves she might need to leave the British roles behind (which is a shame, because I think the British are just awesome).

                                    

Ben Foster

I’m still absolutely flummoxed as to how Woody Harrelson swept through being nominated for every important precursor last year for The Messenger when Ben Foster turned up at nary a one. Where is the justice? The Messenger remains as one of my favourite films from the 2009, and much of that had to do with the quiet intensity of Foster’s protagonist. What makes him so special, though, is his ability to play quiet and brooding and switch instantly to loud and explosive. And he’s been at it so long, surely he deserves to catch a break.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: It’s too easy, but I’m calling him for Jem, the role Jeremy Renner originated in The Town. Renner WAS my favourite part of the film, but I’d have loved to see Foster that irrepressible showboating sidekick. If there was one thing I didn’t like about Renner’s Jem was how lacking in personality he was, he was officious enough but never charismatic which is something I think Ben could pull off.

                                 

Kerry Washington

I don’t believe that I’m the only one who’s been championing for dear Ms. Washington to get more recognition. Truth is, it’s especially difficult being a black actress in the business – but Kerry’s as adept at playing in the typical black picture as she is in something more generically prestigious. Acting has many facets – voice, body language, facial expressions, but I’m particularly fond of Kerry’s speaking voice. It’s especially crisp and expressive, and she always does well with large bits of dialogue.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: I wonder what it would have been like to see Kerry take the lead in Veronika Decides to Die. That’s a movie that went by unnoticed (shame) but the quiet passion of Veronika is something I think Kerry could handle beautifully – if given the chance.

             

Ben Whishaw

Ah, Ben Whishaw. I’m a fan and Bright Star turned me into a raving fanatic. Someone tell me again why that movie went by with so little notice? Actually, don’t tell me – there’s no good reason. It’s clichéd, but Whishaw is like the epitome of the sensitive artist which is perhaps why his Keats’ doesn’t seem like acting – but that deliberate poignancy he puts into his performances (re Brideshead Revisited) is something brilliant to watch.

 A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: With all that sensitivity, isn’t he an obvious choice for Tommy in Never Let Me Go? After being floored by he and Carey last year, I’ve put the hopes of seeing the two in a film of things I want to happen...and as fine as Garfield is, Whishaw opposite Carey would have just been incredible.

Rosamund Pike

Rosamund Pike seems sort of ageless to me, since seeing her in Die Another Day all the way through Pride & Prejudice and An Education she never seems to age, if anything she seems younger. It’s weird how her characters seem to be on a mental regression from the steely to the quite silly Helen. It’s her talent as an actor, though, and she doesn’t come off like any of these characters in interviews. She’s able to embody a wide array of supporting players on the sidelines, which proably accounts for her being forgotten.

A 2010 Role She Could Have Tackled: How old is Cattrall’s Amelia supposed to be in The Ghost Writer? I love her in it, but I wonder what someone younger like ROsamund would have done with the role. We know she can handle the ice-queen role well and though the thought of her against Brosnan is not particularly appealing (because Brosnan is terrible) I like the idea of her playing this role.

                  

Which of these five is most overdue for some appreciation? Any roles they should have gotten it for? Any role they could have played?

“Oh, Jude”

"I have an eye for talent."

I’m a big fan of Jude Law. That in itself feels like a gross understatement. Next to Ralph Fiennes he’s my favourite living actor. And it’s weird, I’m always wailing about consistency, but Jude doesn’t have an impeccable track record. Like any good actor he stars in less than in interesting projects I often wonder if Jude sincerely believes in the films he promotes – maybe he’s self deluded like Errol Flynn, remember his line in The Aviator “I have an eye for talent”, considering the times he's been great - you'd think so. Then, considering things like Sherlock Holmes, Repo Men, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus – not bloody likely.

                         

Oh, but I do love him – even if my worth as a fan is incredibly precarious when I consider the Jude Law films I haven’tI Heart Huckabees, which with its eclectic must be seen one day; or Breaking & Entering, which as a staunch Anthony Minghella fan I have no excuse for not seeing; or AI: Artificial Intelligence, which I’ve seen showing often but never bothered to watch. And yet, I’ve still got five performances of his that I especially love.

Jerome Eugene Morrow in Gattaca (1997) - REVIEWED

“If at first you don’t succeed...try, try again.”

What is it about Jude playing moguls of perfection? I like to remember this movie for Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, the former especially who's never revered as much as he ought to be, but Jude steals the show playing the perfect man, who's not so perfect. Jerome is a bit of a dick, okay a lot of a dick - but that's the thing about Jude, even when you hate him...you can't. Even though Niccol's Gattaca didn't take off as well as it should have, does anyone (besides me) remember it anymore?

Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - REVIEWED

“Everybody should have one talent, what’s yours?”

And he moves from the somewhat sympathetic epitome of past perfection, to a full blown cad who's know for his (you guessed it) perfection. Dickie Greenleaf is still my favourite Jude performance...it's one of my favourite supporting performances period, he just has those line-readings down pat. And when he says everyone has one talent, you kind of think that his is playing perfect - and being a pretentious douchebag, that we still can't help wishing we were friends with.

                        

(Somewhere in between this he played another epitome of perfection in AI: Artificial Intelligence)

              

Harlen Maguire in Road to Perdition (2002)

“I’m something of a rarity.”

He's nowhere near perfection (inside or out) in Road to Perdition, for heaven sakes he takes photos of the dead - and forgive me if I can't help feeling a bit of necrophilia here. And yet he's sort of right, Jude is a bit of a rarity. When he's playing perfect, he seems made for it but he's absolutely disgusting in Road to Perdition, and not even in an over-the-top look-at-me way, it's as if he really was made for the role in an eerie way. I'll never understood why the performance, why the entire film actually, was shafted that year.

Inman in Cold Mountain (2003) - REVIEWED

“You are all that keeps me from sliding into some dark place.”

As it is, though, I do find something beautiful in the fact that Jude earned his two Oscar nominations (thus far) for Anthony Minghella projects. Truth be told, I might have given him the Oscar this year - it's so tough for me to choose between him and Sean Penn. He's every bit as awkward as you'd expect his hillbilly character to be. Inman is probably my favourite character of him, which is surprising since he's the most introverted. You don't expect him to be a good introvert, but the extroversion in Cold Mountain is left to Renee Zellweger and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Jude handles his role beautifully, though I admit I spent an undue amount of time waiting for him and Nicole to umm...get it on...and they were apart for sooooooo much of the movie. (I  demand a rematch.)

Dan in Closer (2004) - Performance REVIEW

“Deception is brutal, I’m not pretending otherwise.”

Is it because Dan is such a stealth meanie that this performance didn't catch on? Yeah, I'd have probably Oscar-ed him for this one too. He is my best-in-show, and I LOVE this movie. 2004 was supposed to be his year, he was downright impossible to avoid - I did love him in Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow, that one's delightful amidst all the madness and woefully underrated.

                          

The recent drought of any substantial Jude roles feels a bit like a broken promise, he's supposed to be getting more work by now. I'm hoping that Contagion and Hugo Cabret (with SCORSESE) take off, I'm a bit tired of waiting on this train to arrive. But, then again, it's Jude and his moments of perfection outweigh the current drought. I were to rank the five it'd be #5: Jerome, #4: Harlan, #3: Inman, #2: Dan and #1: Dickie.

                 

What's your favourite Jude moment?

British Birthday

As long as I live I’ll always think of Colin Firth as the polar opposite of Ralph Fiennes. I’m perfectly aware that it dates back to me putting way too much credence in the duo they played over a decade ago in The English Patient– but when I weigh Fiennes’ austere cinematic countenance as against Firth’s easy joviality I can’t help it, which makes me just a little bit annoyed that Firth seems headed to that Oscar podium when such a future seems dubious for Fiennes. For, if there’s any British actor under 50 who should have been laurelled by now it’s Fiennes. Today’s his birthday, and watching over his credits I realise that he’s not done that many films – it just feels as if he has, but there’s ubiquity for you – and here are my top 5 performances of his.

Charles Van Doren in Quiz Show (1994)

“I've been swarmed by stockbrokers lately; I feel like a girl with a bad reputation.”

                                      

Maurice Bendrix in The End of the Affair (1999)

“ I hate you, God. I hate you as though you existed”

                              

Justin Quayle in The Constant Gardener (2005)

“I can't go home. Tessa was my home.”

                         

Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List (1993)

“The truth, Helen, is always the right answer.”

                      

Count Lazlo de Almasy in The English Patient (1996)

 

“Every night I cut out my heart. But in the morning it was full again.”

                      

I’d have give him an Oscar for the top two, easily and at least nominated him for the others – but you know when I’m nepotistic towards someone how it gets. I’m still waiting for his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus to be – the fact that he’s in a leading role and helming a film that just happens to star the absolutely luminous Vanessa Redgrave just makes me thrilled.

         

(I haven’t seen his acclaimed performances in either Spider or Land of the Blind, unfortunately.)