Victim's Gold Stars: The Leading Men

BEST ACTOR

Damon's done this sort of part before- introverted, quiet and rather morally suspect man in a suit- but I don't think I've ever seen him do it with more conviction, complexity and subtlety. Edward Wilson is really the tentpole of The Good Shepherd, and, despite all the superb work going on around him- Robert De Niro's clever direction, the production design, the music, the stellar supporting cast- it would still collapse without Damon at its centre, for he prevents the film from becoming a hollow, impervious beast. Wilson is a man whose life is both made and broken by his involvement with the CIA's birth, and Damon is supremely adept at portraying the slow, painful erosion of his relationships and soul.

The part of Billy Costigan quickly proves to be the best part Leonardo DiCaprio has ever been given; and beyond that, it's easily the best he's ever been. A mess of aggressive masculinity and confused nervousness, Billy is eager to show that he's not the man people expect him to be, but he struggles to let go of that as it seems to become increasingly necessary. The Departed is ostensibly a two-hander between DiCaprio's Costigan and Matt Damon's Colin Sullivan, but it really seems more of the long-awaited fruits of the extended Scorsese-DiCaprio partnership- finally DiCaprio has proved himself an equal to Scorsese's previous favourite actor, Robert De Niro himself. This, finally, is a star-making performance.

Dan Dunne is not a hero, which the teachers in this type of film usually seem to be. In fact, Dan is just as weak and selfish- probably moreso- than the people he teaches, a good teacher but a failure of a man. Ryan Gosling (whose real revelatory performance was five years previously in The Believer) creates a crafty balance between Dan's weaknesses and strengths, struggling to help others while neglecting himself. Gosling is not only superb within his character, but in the duets he creates with those around him- a brief appearance from Tina Holmes as a concerned ex, the various students in his class, but most importantly young Shareeka Epps as Drey, who discovers his drug habit. It's the rich web of relationships that make Half Nelson, and Gosling is the spider at its centre.

C.R.A.Z.Y. looks unlikely to ever be released in the USA (at least in theatres- I seem to remember reading about a DVD?), but since it was released in Britain in 2006 it's here, so shut it. This powerful family drama, with a superb visceral sense for its time period(s), is prime fodder for some great acting, and indeed, none more so that Marc-Andre Grondin as the central character Zac, the most unique of five brothers, and also the most confused. Grondin gets the mix of alienation and love from and for his family just right- he loves them but can't get on with them, because they don't understand him. Grondin keeps Zac firmly in reality as his character goes through various confusions- sexuality, drugs, travelling- even keeping C.R.A.Z.Y. grounded in its most absurd moments.

The Fountain is also a film that (more successfully) dabbles in the absurd, and Hugh Jackman also has to work hard to keep it grounded, as Darren Aronofsky's unique visions fly dazzlingly all over the place, and main co-star Rachel Weisz seems to lift off the ground thanks to ethereal lighting and a ghostly character. Jackman not only has to juggle three different- although ultimately the same- characters, but he has to mediate between their different temperaments. The central character, the one in the nearest time period, Tom Creo, is the biggest part and also the most powerful- witness Jackman's howls of pain as he's restrained in the hospital and I defy you not to sob. The Fountain made me cry in a singular way, and this, I credit entirely to Mr. Jackman.

Not A Day Too Soon

Well, I did say I'd do this yesterday, but hey, who gives a crap? Not I. But the fact that I haven't really written reviews in any shape or form for a while gives me an extra little push to spill the bile I've been holding back on the two nasties I saw on the weekend. Let her rip.

[Spoilers!] I'll tell ya, straight up: I saw Straightheads simply because it stars Gillian Anderson. I know, it's shocking that cockney geezer Danny Dyer or the cliched revenge plot weren't the factors that pulled me in. Anywho, since falling for the lovely Gillian when she starred in the BBC's magnificent adaptation of Bleak House, I think I'd watch her in anything (I should really check out The X-Files, I suppose), and her continued committance to the British film industry is fantastic. That said, I do wish she'd committed herself to something with any semblance of respect or quality. Miss Anderson's uneven but powerful turn is the sole reason that the horrendous Straightheads doesn't get a straight-up F. Basic story is: Gillian goes to party with the guy who installed her alarm system (Dyer), and on the way back they piss off some gruesome men by overtaking them and are subsequently subject to a beating which leaves Dyer half blind, and a rape that makes Gillian look like her guts have been yanked out and waved in front of her face. When convolutions lead to Gillian encountering one of the attackers again, she and a rather reluctant Dyer go on a revenge mission.

Now, it's not the gruesome violence that made me so distressed by Straightheads, though seeing a rather large gun being rammed up someone's ass is hardly appetising. Straightheads is a dishearteningly useless film, an exploitative mess: there is no pyschological insight here, just schematic deliberations, and a bizarrely sexist mangling of events so that, even though she's the one that insigated events, Gillian's character comes out looking the hero while Dyer goes over the edge. So, what's the message here? Women have a point of morality but men are just horrific creatures? As soon as the credits rolled on Straightheads I leaped out of my seat, and I wasn't the only one. Straightheads is a hollow, cretinous piece of work that I'd advise everyone to keep well away from- especially Gillian Anderson. Grade: D-

All together a different creature is the glossy Hollywood 'thriller' Fracture, which certainly lives up to its name. I'm notably not a fan of Anthony Hopkins, and to my mind Hannibal Lecter is one of his absolute worst creations, and so you'll understand my distress when I saw that his character here is virtually Hannibal without the desire to devour flesh. Which is just as well, because the main flesh on offer here is Ryan Gosling, whose turn as a cocky young lawyer is perhaps the best thing on offer here, if you discount the rather elliptical opening titles (oh, the promise!). Hopkins shoots his wife (a wasted Embeth Davidtz) and then somehow weasels out of being slammed for it, for whatever reason focusing on Gosling as an opponent and driving the youngster to the brink. But Fracture has no surprises, no chilling moments, no sense of unease or danger, and subplots including Rosamund Pike's new boss appropriately stick through the film like pieces of glass. It all looks very appealing, though. Grade: C-

Oscars 2006: Best Actor

With a final viewing of Notes on a Scandal yesterday, I've finally seen the complete set of Oscars' acting nominees, and, as promised, here is the first of four posts on each of the four categories. Frist up, I've decided to tackle the leading men, and what will follow hence is my ranking of the five nominees, from worst to best (it's MY opinion, remember, before you get up in arms), with a short explaination on what I think of the performance. Also included will be the likelihood of each performance actually winning the award (again, totally my opinion- I am not responsible for any monetary loss you may incur). On with the show...

Oscars 2006: Best Actor

5. Peter O'Toole as 'Maurice', Venus
O'Toole is, for some reason, all-too-ready to pander to Hanif Kureshi's deplorable 'old-man' schtick, swearing like he's got tourettes and leering over the sympathetic Jodie Whittaker (in a much superior performance) without reservations. Oh, sure, he's devoted as hell to the script, but O'Toole is all surface, a creepy old man without the expected soul beneath it; an ageing, wizened actor who spends his time playing corpses and drinking with his actor buddies, who are almost as bad as he is. Occasionally Kureishi gives O'Toole a chance to shine, spinning a Shakespearean monologue in the fashion that only O'Toole can, but Venus is no more than a slapstick comedy than turns into a snooze, and O'Toole is happy simply to go along with that, never working to find anything beneath the surface.
Likelihood of win: 25%

4. Leonardo DiCaprio as 'Danny Archer', Blood Diamond
Make no mistake, had they nominated DiCaprio for the right film (The Departed), he'd be up there fighting with the leaders of the pack. But for whatever reason, it was deemed that this South African, apparently soulless diamond hunter was the role that Oscar wanted to reward DiCaprio for. To be honest, I see little wrong with this performance: it's proficient, mixing DiCaprio's trademark charm with a volatile side we've never really seen from him before (Gangs of New York, eat your heart out), and giving him the chance to struggle with an accent that I found strangely attractive. But the script never really gives DiCaprio much to chew on, too often choosing the route of action-thriller rather than character-driven drama. DiCaprio is fine, but there's nothing much to love about this performance: it's good work in a mediocre film that will soon be forgotten, although perhaps not as soon as it deserved to be.
Likelihood of win: 8%

3. Will Smith as 'Chris Gardner', The Pursuit of Happyness
I liked The Pursuit of Happyness more than I expected to, although I never expected it to be so bland: the whole thing is so lukewarm, like a bath that's perfectly easy to lie in but is neither hot nor cold enough to alert your body (what a strange metaphor). But I couldn't, to my surprise, deny the quality of Smith's work in it: he never oversells any scenes, as much as they are calling for him to do; he, unsurprisingly, has charming chemistry with real-life son Jaden; he combats Thandie Newton's required screeching with a heartfelt anger. The film itself is what really prevents Smith for being truly deserving, because it never gives him much chance to make a true emotional impact: the whole thing bubbles with something that you can't quite see, as if the emotion is there but someone didn't turn the heat up on it enough (okay, I'll stop with the temparature metaphors). It's quite strange that this was even nominated, because no-one seems to love it: it almost slipped in without anyone noticing.
Likelihood of win: 5%

2. Forest Whitaker as 'Idi Amin', The Last King of Scotland
I didn't much care for the film itself, but, like most of the world, I was so impressed with the performances that it raised my opinion of the whole thing several notches. And Whitaker, for all my admiration for McAvoy, Anderson, Washington, etc., is the best in the film: a terrifying, creepily charismatic Idi Amin, he doth make, always on the line between evil and good, a teetering man who's as unsure of himself as Nicholas Garrigan is. Idi Amin was responsible for the murder of hundreds of thousands of his countrymen, yes, and yet often Whitaker slips in a moment that suggests he does feel guilty, a bit, a touch paranoid, a tad fearful. Ultimately, The Last King of Scotland shows us Amin as unmitigated monster, yet, even in his last, gruelling scenes, Whitaker holds tight to the idea that Amin does, actually, have feelings inside of him, and that he is truly upset by this betrayal. It's a terrifying performance simply for how close it is to being a real, human person.
Likelihood of win: 60%

1. Ryan Gosling as 'Dan Dunne', Half Nelson
I intend to see Half Nelson again on a bigger, clearer screen, and perhaps I'll then appreciate the lauded visual sense of it, and pick up on what makes the film surrounding Gosling so appreciated. But even on the small, grubby copy on which I first encountered it, Gosling's performance was stunning: he effortlessly humanized what could easily have been a stock character, formed delicate duets with the various characters he encountered, made a man both selfish and sympathetic, struggling with his life while struggling to help the lives of others. Out of the five films in this category, Half Nelson is the only one that always feel like actual life, and Gosling is the living, breathing centre of it.
Likelihood of win: 2%

Coming next: Best Supporting Actress

Quinceanera, Ask the Dust and Half Nelson

[Quinceanera (Wash Westmoreland & Richard Glatzer, 2006): Quinceanera, or Echo Park L.A. as it was bafflingly re-named for Britain, plays like a lot of tv dramas do: a low-rent cast plays out predictable and pedestrian histrionics, occasionally hitting a true note but mostly succumbing to the familiar and unloved script. I suppose I should give it points for trying to tackle subjects like the gentrification of the Latino area of L.A. and teenage sexuality, but haven't we seen these things before? The pieces of the puzzle never really fit together: Magdalena (Emily Rios) is thrown out just before her quinceanera (fifteenth birthday) because, miraculously, she is a pregnant virgin; meanwhile her cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia), thrown out of his home because his father discovered he was gay, starts sleeping with his new landlords. And their new guardian, kindly Uncle Tomas (Chalo Gonzalez), gently tries to reconcile his breaking family and their ties to their religion. Magdalena is ostensibly the centre of the piece, which would explain why Carlos' thread is almost left in thin air; and is the depiction of his landlords as a promiscuous couple taking advantage of a hot young cholo exactly a positive message from these two gay filmmakers? The whole thing concludes itself obviously and perfunctorially, at least giving Garcia a short chance to impress, but Quinceanera's surface depiction of its themes ultimately leaves you feeling distant and disappointed. Grade: C]

[Ask the Dust (Robert Towne, 2006): Ask the Dust isn't just an adaptation of a book to screen, it's an adaptation of book about someone who writes books, and I'm not sure it's possible to get less cinematic than that. Luckily (or unluckily) most of it doesn't actually focus on the writing of a novel, more the inspirations that our central character, Arturo Bandini (Colin Farrell), tries to find for his writing. Arturo, by the way, is supposed to be an Italian living in L.A., which makes the casting of Farrell even more perplexing than his complete blankness in the role: an Irish man playing an Italian who sounds entirely American. Salma Hayek is more handily cast as a Mexican waitress named Camilla Lopez, whom the script tries to convince us has a turbulent relationship with Arturo. The early part of this relationship plays out in the restaurant where Camilla works, and where a down-hearted Arturo, down to his last nickel, comes to drown his sorrows in a cup of coffee. The bizarrities of these scenes are so strange that I'd suggest you see for yourself if I weren't of the strong mind that no one should ever see this film, so let us just say that they mostly involve shoes. There then follows an appaulingly lit sequence where both Hayek and Farrell strip off and frolick in the sea, playing out their tempestuous love-hate thing once again, only wet and without clothes. The major problem is that Towne becomes convinced of their intrinsic attraction almost before it's even started, and certainly far before his audience have been convinced, and instead the script just takes it as a given that these two's stars are entwined. So when the film abandons Camilla for a brief while, we are treated to an almost-as-bizarre interlude with Idina Menzel's physically scarred nutcase, who lives next to a fairground and serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever. Donald Sutherland serves even less purpose in his role as Arturo's slightly unbalanced and clearly unwashed neighbour, while Eileen Atkins is wasted in the background as Arturo's landlady. Ask the Dust is never horrifying awful, if just for the fact that it's so lifeless that even to get horrified would make it more worthwhile. Nothing inside it ever comes off, from the script to the set decoration, and the actors wonder around inside a hollow shell without even bumping into its sides, because, well, that'd actually be interesting. Grade: D-]

[Half Nelson (Ryan Fleck, 2006): Half Nelson has gathered attention mostly for the impressive performance of hot young thing Ryan Gosling in its central role; but Gosling is hardly the sort of actor who wants to be a star, and I highly doubt he took this role with that aim in mind. It's easy to see why it has gathered press, though: Gosling's performance is a precisely measured but never obvious one, perfectly portrayed but never portrayed as being portrayed. He's almost matched, though, by young Shakeera Epps, as the student who discovers his secret and finds herself stuck between two avenues of life. Half Nelson's emotional distance is occasionally too much, as Fleck and Anna Boden's script becomes too sparse for its own good, but Gosling and Epps keep everything grounded and compelling. Most impressively, the film is never judgmental, simply presenting the dark dilemmas of the two characters as fact and seeing how they deal with them. Sometimes, a matter-of-fact approach is more effective than a moralising one, and that's certainly the case here; the film is so far from trying to make a point that it its the viewer who makes one for themselves. Grade: B]