Alternate Best Actor 1992: Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol

Michael Caine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Ebenezer Scrooge in The Muppet Christmas Carol.

The Muppet Christmas Carol is an enjoyable adaptation of the story because although it inserts Muppet style humor it never forgets to give proper respect to the source material.

I break my currently scheduled year to cover something fitting of the day as well explain why Caine is in my top five for the year of 1992 in leading actor. Muppet movies really are not known for their seriousness and a lot of the human actors sometimes wink to the screen a little more than they should. Caine is the true lead of the film, and the Muppets only ever support him. Where usually the humans in these films have at least a certain degree of self awareness that they are surrounded by Muppets Caine plays it deadly serious as if he was portraying the part for the most prestigious adaptation of A Christmas Carol ever made.

Scrooge is a great part for actors, and there is at least one other actor who will find themselves nominated for playing the part in an alternate line up, as he undergoes a transition from greedy miser to a truly generous man. In portraying the cold side of the part many actors botch it like Reginald Owen in the 1938 version who makes it seem like Scrooge has more of an anger management problem more than anything else. Caine though takes the right approach with the part having a great bitterness and chill that perfectly fits his icy surroundings. He makes Scrooge as he walks through the ice and snow seem a perfect fit for it with his heartless expression as he turns to mockers.

Something notable about Caine's performance early in the film as the cold mean Scrooge is how direct he is in the part. He makes the brutality of Scrooge's spirit something just naturally in his blood that requires no effort on his own part. Caine is proper in that he creates it as much more of the history of the man in display and his lack of empathy for anyone is simply part of him. A side note that is quite interesting though is Caine is even humorous in the role without ever breaking the spirit of the role. For example when he throws out a man (well a Muppet) pleading for help, Caine is actually quite hilarious here becuase how humorlessly he does it, by playing the part as if he was not in a Muppet movie he is actually does far more for the film.

A great deal of what goes into playing Scrooge after the initial scenes of bitterness is his reactions to what is shown by the ghosts who appear to make him change his ways. Caine gets less help than many Scrooges as the film is shorter than many, and with a lot less complexity than many other versions as well. Young Scrooge for example just seems to be a jerk already, and there is not change, but this is not a flaw in regards to Caine's performance. Caine is terrific in portraying first the fear in apprehension of seeing the ghosts believably, even though they are Muppets. As Scrooge sees his past simplified, Caine does not simply the emotions internalizing well the feelings of sadness and nostalgia in his eyes beautifully. 

Caine even overcomes the flaws of the film with his honest performance that rejects any notions of falseness. Even with a overwrought musical number about the love lost in Scrooge's life that really does fail to achieve what it is seeking is saved by Caine in his simple moments as he tells the ghost to leave him be, and Caine is quite heartbreaking fully realizing the loss in his expression of grief in a far more able fashion than the whole song tried so hard to do. Caine is moving and effective in portraying the change in Scrooge over being shown his past. He carefully continues to show some stubbornness to the right degree, but eases properly on it to indicate the change is coming in Scrooge.

During the Ghost of Christmas Present scene there is a considerably better musical number about the joys of Christmas and Caine is terrific in the way he is able to portray the growing joy in Scrooge over just 2 minute scene as he moves from reluctance to happiness during the song. Equally effective though is Caine is in the last Ghost that shows a melancholy future. Despite the film talking about the death of a Muppet, and later having Scrooge having to plead for his life in from of giant Muppet Caine never fails to bring the proper weight to the scenes. His impassioned performance absolutely ignores his surroundings and brings out the power of the material wonderfully well.

The final scenes of the final that show Scrooge as a changed man are pretty much handled in a single song sung by Caine. Caine is not a master of song by any measure but he carries the song but more importantly he is able portray through the song the love of life Scrooge now has. It is a great moment in because Caine infuses so much genuine charm and joy into the song that properly establishes Scrooge as a man who has finally found happiness. This is in many ways a rushed depiction of the character, and a lesser actor would most likely have been self aware to the version of Scrooge they are in. Caine ignores any notion that this depiction of the story shall be taken less seriously and gives a moving as well as convincing performance as Ebenezer Scrooge.

296. The Dark Knight Rises

296. (02 Dec) The Dark Knight Rises (2012, Christopher Nolan) 39



The most tolerable of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, The Dark Knight Rises at least has an iota of levity. For the most part, it trudges along in the self-serious fashion of the first two films, but Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle offers a faint glimpse of the franchise that might have been. She's a buoyant, even silly presence — cracking wise and kicking at things with outrageous heels when she could clearly tone it down. But therein lies the fun in a superhero movie, as Bane is every bit as unpleasant a presence as Heath Ledger's Joker was.

Setting up preposterous plot that never feels properly established or developed, Bane is relentlessly irritating. With the exception of the action sequences centering around him, he's another joyless mouthpiece for Nolan to make Batman as gloomy as possible. The ensemble is bloated, to be sure, but no one sucks the life out of the film as readily as Bane.

The opening scene on an airplane, the football field collapse, and Batman's flying machine make this a worthy Oscar contender for Best Visual Effects. The sound work is also impressive. It took sloppily written transitions and clichés too clunky to ignore (a ticking time bomb, a busload of orphans) to keep this out of the Best Picture race, and I'm so grateful for it.

The Ipcress File (1965)

***^½
Country: UK
Director: Sidney J. Furie

The success of the first James Bond films in the early 1960s spurred the creation of what amounted to a new genre—the Cold War spy movie. Within a couple of years the characters of Ian Fleming were joined on the screen by those of Fleming's fellow British writers of spy thrillers John le Carré and Len Deighton. The first film based on a novel by le Carré, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, and the first film based on a novel by Deighton, The Ipcress File, were both released in 1965. Like the earliest Bond films, before the spoofiness and gimmickry began to predominate, The Ipcress File treats its subject seriously but with hints of insouciance. Like the films based on le Carré's novels, it deals with the inner workings of a British spy agency and with questions of loyalty and treason within that agency, but in a more straightforward and less convoluted way than le Carré typically did.

The Ipcress File opens with espionage agent Harry Palmer (Michael Caine) being transferred to a new unit in the Ministry of Defence and assigned to a new case. For some time, an unusual number of research scientists working for the MOD have been resigning, saying that they are no longer mentally up to the work. A break in the case occurs when a prominent scientist is kidnapped right after boarding a train and held for ransom to the highest bidder. The MOD successfully ransoms the scientist, but shortly after his return he suffers a breakdown in the middle of a lecture and must also resign. Now that the government knows the reason behind the sudden "brain drain" of researchers, Harry's unit is assigned the task of finding out exactly what has been happening to these men to cause such a traumatic reaction. The only clues are an abandoned warehouse where the spy agency believes the kidnapped scientist was held and a fragment of magnetic recording tape with the word IPCRESS on it.

For Harry there is another, even more important mystery besides the question of what is being done to the scientists and by whom. In the belief that someone in the agency is giving the kidnappers inside information, Harry determines to find out who is the mole. No longer able to trust anyone in the agency—neither his colleagues nor his superiors—he must pursue the investigation on his own. The film culminates in a mind-bending sequence in which Harry is kidnapped himself and subjected to the same process of psychological torture and Manchurian Candidate-style brainwashing the scientists have undergone.

With its classic suspense plot—in many ways the film resembles a Cold War update of the kind of spy thriller Alfred Hitchcock made in the 1930s and 1940s—The Ipcress File is a tremendously entertaining and exciting picture. While the business-like direction by Sidney J. Furie, the spooky music of John Barry, and the subdued production design of Ken Adam (he did the eye-catching production design of the early Bond films as well as Dr. Strangelove and Barry Lyndon) are instrumental in creating these effects, it's the cinematography of Otto Heller that really stands out. His frequent placement of the camera either very high or very low in relation to the people in the shot, combined with the use of raked camera angles, echoes Harry's conviction that something at the agency is askew and that nothing—and nobody—can be accepted at face value. Heller makes the CinemaScope screen shape seem almost naturalistic, especially in interior shots, often using frames within frames to break the screen into smaller units and add depth to what can otherwise seem a vast, flat horizontal expanse.

What really distinguishes The Ipcress File from the many films of this type that came after the first wave of James Bond movies, though, is the character of Harry Palmer and the man who plays him, Michael Caine. Harry is described at one point as having a reputation within his agency for being "insubordinate, insolent, a trickster—perhaps with criminal tendencies." That seems an apt description of this man who originally was forced into the military intelligence service to avoid a sentence in a military prison and is being coerced into remaining in intelligence by the threat of having to serve that sentence if he ever has thoughts of retiring.

Even before his suspicions about the existence in the agency of a traitor are aroused, Harry is a loner who despises bureaucratic minutiae and prefers to work solo, and that is exactly how he makes the significant breaks in the case that his colleagues are unable to do. In a field where teamwork is the norm, it's an unorthodox method that not only helps him make headway on a case that has everyone else mystified, but makes him the target of villains who would prefer that it remain unsolved. Harry is also a smart aleck, a womanizer, and a bit of a Cockney intellectual, with his love of books, classical music, and gourmet cookery. The film is nearly as much about him as it is about the case he's working on, and The Ipcress File concentrates on him far more so than the two Harry Palmer films which followed.

Before making The Ipcress File, Michael Caine had been working in pictures and in British television for nearly ten years, playing uncredited roles, bit parts, and finally in 1964 a major supporting role in Zulu. Harry Palmer was his first starring role, a part he got after Christopher Plummer and Richard Harris both passed on it. So well does he fit the character, though, that it's hard to imagine anyone else as Harry Palmer. Alfie (1966) is often considered Caine's breakout performance, but I would argue that Harry Palmer in The Ipcress File, coming a year earlier and earning him his first BAFTA nomination for best actor, is the true breakout performance.

It's also one of three performances that mark the high points of Michael Caine's early career and that define what is thought of as the early Michael Caine screen persona, the other two being Alfie and his Jack Carter in Get Carter (1971). Of the three, Harry Palmer just may be the most impressive. Alfie and Jack Carter are dominated by one quality, Alfie by his caddish exploitation of women and Jack Carter by his revenge obsession. Only slightly less intense a character than Alfie or Carter, Harry Palmer gives Caine the opportunity to play someone with multiple sides to his personality, and Caine does this without ever losing the center of the character or giving the appearance of straining to show off his versatility.

It's an accomplished, relaxed, highly confident job of acting that elevates an already very good film into an even better one. The fall of the USSR and the emergence of the War on Terrorism may have put an end to the Cold War spy movie, but the films of this type made in the 1960s can still entertain and thrill, and The Ipcress File is right up there with the best of them.

185. Jaws: The Revenge

185. (02 Sep) Jaws: The Revenge (1987, Joseph Sargent) 33



Despite its reputation as one of the worst films of all time, Jaws: The Revenge is an infinitely more watchable film that Jaws 2 or Jaws 3-D. While those films are self-serious and downright boring, this moves briskly. It is bad, to be sure, full of plot holes, bad performances and outrageously embarrassing effects. Those things at least give this a little camp value.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises, 2012
Directed by Christopher Nolan

I remember the summer of 2008. The Dark Knight was released, and there was a massive buzz around it. Even working at summer camp with hardly any link to the outside world, we all knew The Dark Knight was the movie to see. And though I was never a superhero fan (I generally enjoyed the first two Spiderman films, and had watched Batman Begins once), I was excited to see it. I got home from camp, and saw it with my father right away.

And that's how I came to love and appreciate the Batman trilogy. After that, I was more interested  in Batman Begins (a film which I still really really love), and of course, loved The Dark Knight, and rooted so hard for Heath Ledger at the Oscars, and will defend to this day that he still would've won even if he hadn't have died.

Superhero movies were never really things I could get into. They were superhuman people, "doing the right thing" and "saving the world" from "evil". They were all kind of the same, and therefore uninteresting. But Christopher Nolan didn't make superhero movies when he made Batman, they're more intellectual and psychological than that. They're complex and political, character driven, and dark. And this most recent addition is the most complex, character-driven and darkest yet. While Captain America, Spiderman, etc weren't that light of movies, The Dark Knight Rises makes them look incredibly simple and fluffy.

This film is set 8 years after after the events of the Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne is a recluse, mourning what the Joker did to Gotham, and having let Batman take the fall for Harvey Dents murder, leaving the people of Gotham to remember him as a good person. Meanwhile, Gotham is in good hands. Organized crime has been swept up, things are looking good, and it's a time of peace for Gotham. But as Selina Kyle says, a cat burglar who finds the attention of Bruce Wayne, "a storm is coming". And come it does. Bane is a terrorist, intent on taking over Gotham, and while young John Blake, a young curious cop, is intent on handling him, alongside Jim Gordon, things don't go as planned. And it seems Gotham once again needs Batman.

As stated, I'm a Batman fan. No, not in the way of having seen all the old Batman films, but I really enjoy Nolan's trilogy because it's not that "superhero" and it's complex, and intelligent. There are so many mindless action movies out there (think Battleship, Transformers, etc) that it really becomes exciting when something so intelligent and complex like The Dark Knight Rises comes out. It's a brain movie, not one just for the eyes (though this one is particularly striking).

I'm not going to lie, this film is not as straight-forward as Batman Begins or the Dark Knight were, and there were a few times where I wasn't positive who everyone was, what they were about, and what was going on. Additionally, what ended up being the main problem (after like 1 1/2 hours), was a bomb and the race against its detonation. While I found this to be quite cliche (how many movies are there about this!?), and Nolan could've given Bane something way more original and he deserved more than that, it still made for an interesting watch, and with Christopher Nolan, you never really know where he's going to take you in this. Ever since he killed off Rachel Dawes, I've never really known what to expect from him. But nonetheless, it was slightly cliche, but it worked incredibly well for this film, and didn't come off as cliche while watching.

Additionally, there were several different things going on at all times, and it seemed Bruce Wayne/Batman were thrown in as an afterthought a few times. At the fore-front of this film we have Bane, played by Tom Hardy, with menacing mask and voice and brute strength. We have Selina Kyle, played by Anne Hathway. I still laugh thinking of all the nay-sayers who were upset at Hathaway being cast as Catwoman. Hathaway was the star of the show, and gave the best performance of the cast. She was witty and sexy, and was totally awesome and was an awesome female addition at the cast, where the previous two films had been incredibly male dominated. It was nice to see a woman out there who wasn't Rachel, and who could fend for herself. And then we have John Blake, played the new hot-and-in demand star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. For a while the film almost feels like the John Blake show, him being a new and curious cop who's a big Batman believer. All three give great performances, and John Blake was a welcome new character who gave a different side to the police side when Jim Gordon wasn't available, and was the ultimate "good guy".

Normally, I don't find actions movies to be that "visually stunning" as some people would call them. Yes, there's good graphics and car chases, but I describe movies like 2005's Pride & Prejudice as visually stunning. But I'd toss it out there that The Dark Knight Rises is the best looking film in the trilogy. The cinematography was particularly gorgeous (all the scenes in the snow, gorgeous), the scenery was great and everything just looked so good.

Overall, I really enjoyed the film. Yes, there were a couple plot holes and things that got wrapped up really quickly, as well as there was a little too much going on at a few points that I found it a little tricky to follow, but that's what the second viewing is for (which will probably be next weekend). This movie had incredible expectations. And while my friends and I all knew we weren't going to get something better than The Dark Knight, I went in not expecting a whole lot from this film other than it was going to be awesome and intelligent, and that's exactly what I got. This was Nolan's opus of the three films. He was the conductor, and the composer, giving everyone different and complex parts, but weaving them all together effectively to make a beautiful movie.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and look forward to having a second viewing so I can completely grasp everything that happened, who everyone was, and pick up on more of the little things that happened that got lost in the wide-eyed viewing of the first round.

Will this film end up making a Best Picture run? While a movie like The Dark Knight deserved it, I'm less sure about this one, though wouldn't be too surprised to see it up there on Oscar morning. However, I'd say it's less likely, and fanboys shouldn't hold their breath, but we'll see in the coming months, I suppose. It has great shots within the technical aspects, and I'd love to see it up for Best Score, as Hans Zimmer always delivers.

Overall, a great film, and definitely this years best blockbuster by far. A worthy ending to the ending of one of the best and more beloved trilogys of all time. And if this entire film wasn't fantastic, the last few minutes (give or take 10 to 15) are the most shining moments and the very perfect wrap up. I wish I could share exactly what happened, but to me, Nolan wrapped things up in his own way, and did it perfectly. It's a perfect sequence, and is the shining moment of the film.

Acting- 8/10
Directing- 8.5/10
Screenplay- 8/10
Music - 9/10
"The look"- 9/10
Entertaining- 9.5/10
Emotional Connection- 9.5/10
Rewatchability- 9/10
Did I like It?- 9/10
"Total Package"**- 8/10 

Total: 87.5

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
Written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Michael Caine

Bruce Wayne: You’re afraid that if I go back out there, I’ll fail.
Alfred: No, I’m afraid you want to.

It is a rare occurrence in Hollywood for any film franchise to be as consistently incredible throughout its run as Christopher Nolan’s Batman series has been. With THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, Nolan brings his ambitious take on the Batman ideology to an epic and fitting close. He brings his slow burning exploration of human fear to the brink of catastrophe and drags Gotham City and all its good people right along with it. The tension he has been building systematically since BATMAN BEGINS, that he brought to entirely unexpected heights in THE DARK KNIGHT, could only conclude in one way and that is with an all-out war. The question is, will anyone come out of this war a winner? Or even alive for that matter?

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES picks up eight years after the last installment left off, when Batman took the fall for Harvey Dent, so that Gotham could go on believing in the hero it needed at the time to move forward. Batman is retired and the man behind the mask, billionaire extraordinaire, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse from society. Wayne has always been a conflicted character but the necessary and inevitable journey he must make here to find the bat within and come out of retirement, makes for a bit of a stunted start to the film. We know he will get there so watching him walk away from his waking coma slows us down some, but once he gets there, that’s when things get interesting. Very interesting.

Batman must take on Bane (Tom Hardy) and he has no idea what kind of brute force he’s up against. His motivation to dust off the cape and mask come into question, primarily from his trusted aid, Alfred (Michael Caine, who impresses yet again by finding all new layers to this well known character). Is he doing this because Gotham truly needs him? Or is he doing this because he needs Batman to live? Worse yet, is he doing this because he needs Batman in order to justify killing himself? Regardless, he gets more than he ever expected with Bane, a man with a past that is even more complex than his own. To complicate matters even further, Batman must also contend with feisty cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). He can never quite tell whose side she’s on and thanks to Hathaway’s playful performance, neither can we.

It isn’t just Batman who must rise to the occasion in this film. Nearly every character we meet must overcome their own limitations and rise to honour their past, their legacy or themselves. Like THE DARK KNIGHT before it, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES builds on ideas of fear, from struggling with it internally to inspiring it in others externally. Unlike last time though, this conflict is more visually destructive than it is psychologically disturbing. As a result, some of the motivation behind the terror felt like more of the same than another truly original installment. That said, the war itself is worth every second. So while THE DARK KNIGHT RISES may not have risen as high as I would have liked it to, it does soar through the sky like only Nolan’s great winged bat can.

Best of Black Sheep: THE DARK KNIGHT

THE DARK KNIGHT
Written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine and Maggie Gyllenhaal


Alfred Pennyworth: Some men simply want to watch the world burn.

There can only be one Batman and as I sat amongst a full crowd that was silent in awed anticipation at the crack of the film, it is clear that director, Christopher Nolan’s Batman is that one.  In BATMAN BEGINS, Nolan (whom at the time he attempted to revive the franchise had only directed a handful of indie projects) took an icon and made him human.  Batman, and of course his real life persona, Bruce Wayne, was damaged.  He had fears; he had frustrations; he had to find himself.  What he found, with a little push from Nolan, was a flawed figure, but also a man whose heroism was defined by his humility and relentless pursuit of justice for those incapable of demanding it for themselves.  With the arrival of THE DARK KNIGHT, Nolan has finished with his foundation, and taken to the vertigo-inducing heights on the tallest of Gotham’s buildings to analyze the city and all its inhabitants.  Gliding both gracefully and dauntingly through all of it is the dark knight himself (reprised by third time Nolan collaborator, Christian Bale).  What he sees from his unique view, which becomes our privileged spectacle, is a world of delineating lines and order, that is about to be torn apart by chaos and chance.

Gotham City must be pretty far down the list of safest places to live in America.  Not only does there seem to be nightly violence at the hands of common street thugs, but all the crazies seem to end up setting up shop there too.  Enter the Joker (Heath Ledger).  We know nothing of what made him the homicidal maniac he is, nor does he have any regard for human life.  In fact, he has nothing but disdain for it.  Humanity’s rules may disgust him but they also make it possible for him to predict how people will behave, allowing him the chance to throw them off and laugh at their expense. The Joker is frightening enough in concept but Ledger’s performance is down right terrifying.  As he constantly licks his lips with self-assured cynicism, he cuts to the chase in every scenario.  He has no time for any games, other than the ones he orchestrates himself, and commands control everywhere he goes.  His idea of playing always involves the ultimate consequences and the highest of stakes.  In order to win out, you must reject what you know and become everything you denounce.  Only winners will know the rewards of living both sides of the coin and the Joker is counting on fear to prevail so that he can finally have someone to play with.

Along with his co-screenwriter, brother, Jonathan, Nolan has crafted a dark, twisted dissection of duality and morality that is often shocking, unexpected and intricately detailed.  In every superhero tale, everyone always wants to know the man behind the mask.  The mask itself, the creation of another persona other than the one that sits safely behind it, initiates the duality that permeates the notion of the superhero figure. Batman is the dark knight.  He only comes out at night and no one would suspect the man he is by day might be one and the same.  The Joker’s chaos theory ruptures Batman’s controlled existence and forces him to think in a darker fashion than he has ever had to before.  Thinking that darkly though can leave you stranded in that space and this is what the Joker is counting on.  What makes THE DARK KNIGHT so rich is that almost every character has conflict and questions their actions and motivations.  No answer is the clear right one and deceit seems to play a role in even the most well-intentioned decisions.  The greatest irony is that the darkest character actually has the purest of souls while the would be clown seems to have no soul at all.  This is perhaps what makes them such worthy adversaries and why they both almost seem to enjoy the challenge.

When THE DARK KNIGHT feels like it might be ending, the anxiety mounts because you won’t want it to end.  It has an enormous scope but is somehow still subtle.  It is incredibly complex but yet still simple.  The film itself is steeped in just as much duality as its hero. Nolan never loses control of his duty – to create a Batman film that pleases both the masses and the fans, that encompasses the grandness of a blockbuster with the darkness of the independent spirit, and wows without resorting to cheap tricks.  Once again, Nolan has grounded the sensational on a very firm footing by never allowing Batman to be anything other than a man.  We can then stand on the same level ground as the giant bat and feel a satisfaction that is both real and incredible.

Alternate Best Actor 1965: Results

5. Michael Caine in The Ipcress File- Caine uses his unique screen presence and on screen marvelously here to make Harry Palmer a down to earth, and very likable hero.

4. Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago-This really is not the usual performance for an epic, but Sharif makes the most of his character and successfully carries the film.

3. Lee Van Cleef in For A Few Dollars More-  It is a performance of quiet simplicity, and in this simplicity is where the incredible strength of this performance lies.

2. Sean Connery in The Hill- This is an excellent showcase of Connery's talent as he not only utilizes his more commonly found command of the screen, but as well effectively shows us that he is fully capable of creating an emotionally resonate character portrait.

1. Terence Stamp in The Collector-This is a great performance by Stamp as both a humane portrait of a lonely man, but at the same time a convincing portrayal of a man who seems to prefer the dead over the living. This is again an incredible year, and again Stamp wins for now but Connery, Steiger, and Burton are not far behind.

Overall Rank:

1. Terence Stamp in The Collector
2. Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in From The Cold
3. Rod Steiger in The Pawnbroker
4. Sean Connery in The Hill
5. Lee Van Cleef in For A Few Dollars More
6. Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago
7. Oskar Werner in Ship of Fools
8. Michael Caine in The Ipcress File
9. Frank Sinatra in Von Ryan's Express
10. Laurence Olivier in Othello
11. James Stewart in The Flight of the Phoenix
12. Lee Marvin in Cat Ballou
13. Clint Eastwood in For A Few Dollars More
14. Sean Connery in Thunderball
15. Frank Finlay in Othello
16. Jason Robards in A Thousand Clowns

Next Year: 2011

BATMAN BEGINS

BATMAN BEGINS
Written by David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes and Cillian Murphy


Thomas Wayne: Why do we fall, Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.

From the terrifying opening shot of countless screeching bats flying across a burning red sky, it is unmistakably clear that Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS will be nothing at all like the film incarnations that came before it. I describe it as terrifying because, like the man behind the mask of the titular character, I too am not a great fan of bats. I do however, enjoy movies about men who like to dress up in giant bat costumes quite a bit, and when I first saw Nolan’s reboot of a series that had been run deep into the ground by the previous hack of a helmer, I knew that this Batman would not only be invigorated for a new generation of fans but that it would likely go on to become the definitive incarnation of this iconic hero.

True to its title, Nolan, along with co-screenwriter, David S. Goyer (BLADE), provide the audience with a truly authentic and well-rounded origin story. What is perhaps most impressive about their take is how original it feels considering its been told so many times before. We are introduced to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) when he is still just a child. While playing, he falls into a cave and is attacked by a colony of bats. While this scene doesn’t pretend to show that this is where Batman was born, it does, at the very least, show us where his fascination with the winged creature came from. Cut from his first bat encounter to years later, as he takes his first steps toward becoming Batman, fighting, as Wayne in plain clothes, in a Bhutanese prison against a number of opponents, before embarking on an intensive ninja training that leads to his ability to appear invisible and his flare for the theatrical. These choices are so well rooted in believable reality that for the first time I can account for, Batman seems like someone who could actually exist.

The main theme of BATMAN BEGINS is fear. Wayne is afraid of bats; he is afraid that ultimately he is responsible for his parents’ death; perhaps most significantly though, his fear has paralyzed him from participating in life since he was that small child. He learns, under the tutelage of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson), not only how to face his fears but to have those same fears fuel his fury forward onto his enemies. Having found himself and a way to follow in his father’s footsteps by helping the good people of Gotham City (which is breathtaking in its glory days), Wayne grows up before our very eyes and Bale does a marvelous job at conveying this to his audience. We know he has a great spirit hidden far behind the self-imposed walls surrounding him; his supporters, and our superb supporting cast, from trusted butler and guardian, Alfred (Michael Caine) to childhood sweetheart and current Gotham City district attorney, Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), know what he can truly be if he lets it happen; the only person who still doesn’t see it is Wayne himself.

Just like you and I, Batman too has bats in his cave that plague him. Instead of cleaning them out though, he learns how to harness their power for the good of the many. With BATMAN BEGINS, Nolan redefines what it means to make a comic book movie. Unlike some other superheroes, Batman is just man. He just happens to have extensive training, enough money to equip himself with plenty of gadgets to take down his detractors, and a chip on his shoulder large enough to keep him doing it for the rest of his life. Nolan knows that this chip is what bonds Batman to the masses though. His mission to do right by the people of Gotham makes him a hero, but his somewhat selfish motivation to right the wrong that was done to his parents right before his eyes, taints his supposedly altruistic nature and makes him human. Batman has always been conflicted but never before has it been communicated on film in such a relatable way. And, never before, has it been so damn good.

Alternate Best Actor 1965: Michael Caine in The Ipcress File

Michael Caine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Harry Palmer for the first time in The Ipcress File.

The Ipcress File is an effective spy thriller about a spy trying to undercover a strange kidnapping and mind wiping plot.

The 60's was a popular time for spy films and 1965 had several of them three particularly notable ones though that show very different depiction of being a spy. There was of course the very romantic one found in Thunderball, and the extremely cynical and pessimistic depiction found in The Spy Who Came in From The Cold. The Ipcress File is somewhere in between the two. The Ipcress File stresses far less entertaining of spy life like routine surveillance as well as a mundane living, but there is still some humor found here unlike the insistent double crosses and dirty dealings found in The Spy Who Came in From Cold.

Caine portrayal of Palmer is also somewhere in between Sean Connery depiction of James Bond, and Richard Burton's depiction of Alec Leamas as well. Just like Connery's Bond there is an enthusiasm here that he puts into his job vigorously, and there are times where he does seem to enjoy his job. He though is not entirely different than Alex Leamas though either as Palmer still has many tedious duties to deal with lives a relatively humble life, and has a to deal with some of the back room conspiracy although it is not nearly as devious, and therefore does leave Palmer as nearly as much of a embittered man as Burton's Leamas.

Caine is quite good in the role by creating a balanced portrait of this spy. A key feature of Harry Palmer is his sense of humor which also factors into the fact that he tends to be insubordinate as well. Palmer is constantly cracking small jokes to his sometimes quite not amused superiors. Caine takes the right sort of low key approach here that realizes Palmer's sense of humor, but he does not over due it to become an overly comic performance either. Caine has just enough fun with his performance to lighten the mood a bit in the film, but still when more weight is needed for a scene Caine is completely up to the task.

In his performance as Palmer Caine effectively combines the excitement with the tedium that he encounters as a spy. Caine in the moments where Palmer is tracing someone or dealing with something very important he shows a clear conviction that shows Palmer's devotion to his work. Caine is appropriately keen in the role, conveying the intelligence of Palmer. Caine though does not make Harry completely domineering though. Palmer really is not an expert spy, just a good one, and really Caine does well in portraying his frustrations just well as skills. Of course a great deal of the time Palmer is not doing particularly interesting work, and Caine is good in showing that really Palmer uses his humor just to avoid boredom.

Caine stays consistent with his portrayal for most of the film until the very end when Palmer is captured by the enemy and put under mental torture. Naturally Caine loses that charm and poise he had earlier on as he suffers through the physical and psychological strain put upon him in captivity. Caine is strong here as well showing the extreme pain Palmer goes through in trying to resist the programming his captors are trying to embed in him. Although it is relatively fast in the film in showing the process Palmer undergoes, Caine is brings the horror of it to life. Caine is good here because although he shows a strong resolve in Palmer, he also makes it true that Palmer after all is only human.

This is a very good performance by Michael Caine and it is no surprise that this role helped him secure himself as a leading man. This is original and interesting depiction of this spy who is never derivative despite all of spies at the time. Caine uses his unique screen presence and on screen marvelously here to make Harry Palmer a down to earth, and very likable hero. He makes Palmer the relatively average spy who it is far likely we would be, than say James Bond who we would like to be. Although I would say this is not the greatest spy performance of the year, that still goes to Burton, it is an excellent one nevertheless.

Alternate Best Actor 1965

And the Nominees Were Not:

Omar Sharif in Doctor Zhivago

Lee Van Cleef in For A Few Dollars More

Terence Stamp in The Collector

Sean Connery in The Hill

Michael Caine in The Ipcress File

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

Alternate Best Actor 1971: Michael Caine in Get Carter

Michael Caine did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Jack Carter in Get Carter.

Get Carter is a bleak but effective thriller about an English gangster seeking revenge for the death of his brother.

Michael Caine is an actor I will not say is the first who comes to mind when would say tough guy. In fact Caine does not seem to usually come off as a psychically imposing individual in films, even if he is a taller man. This is not the case though in his performance as gangster Jack Carter. In this film even when he is not, he seems to be the tallest man in the room. The way he carries himself in this film as Carter makes Caine absolutely dominate every scene he is in. He has an incredible strength that permeates through that makes him always the man in charge. Caine has always been able to carry a film but here he literally controls it.

Caine is great in the role because he never tries to make Carter anything but what Carter is. He does not try to add some sort of faking the character or doing a wink at the audience to say look this is good old Michael Caine still. Caine never for once breaks his mold for his character here which does not once ask for sympathy or understanding. Nevertheless Caine is so good in this film he brings us right into this character for the entire film. Even though it is hard to say that this character is really likable Caine still has a charisma in his performance that is unmistakable for sure. He simply owns the screen in this film and you really can't help but watch him here.

Caine creates a facinating portrait of the gangster Carter, as he has a incredible dynamic between the outside of Carter and the inside feelings of him. Caine on the outside shows Carter to be the perfect sort of gangster when it comes to doing dirty work that is commonly required such as killing. There is an incredible coldness and well professionalism to his performance that shows that Carter knows exactly what he is doing and has been doing this sort of work for a long time making him absolutely comfortable with all of it. He is so cold at times it seems like maybe he does not have heart period, but Carter does deep inside after all his whole journey in the film is completely personal.

For much of the film Caine does show Carter as pretty much a business man doing his job that is probably just done a little too efficiently. Caine though makes us completely believe in Carter's abilities throughout the film as Carter wades through all the muck and the double crosses to find out what exactly did happen to his brother. Caine always makes it clear that Carter is absolutely sure of himself, and confidant in his abilities always. There is never even a hint of weakness in Caine's  portrayal he always portrays the part with a mastery of efficiency, and effectiveness that brings to life Carter's skill and abilities marvelously.

The greatest and most powerful moments of Caine's performance and the film itself are when we see the more emotional side of Carter that Caine brilliantly portrays because he only shows them in the most pivotal of moments. His single greatest scene might be when Carter finally really gets set off by finding out exactly why his brother died. It is a single silent scene where Carter watches a pornographic film featuring the woman he just had sexual intercourse with. At first Caine shows Carter reacting with a bit of a disinterest as well as bemusement as something just to pass the time. When Carter sees his niece is as well featured in the film. Caine is incredible as Carter's soul is crushed, and Caine shows how much this truly does weigh on Carter.

After this scene Caine is just one brutal uncompromising force of revenge for both his borther's death and the use of his own niece and perhaps daughter. Caine is outstanding in these scenes are Carter brutally kills many of the people involved with his brother's death, or even partially involved with it. Caine is especially terrific in the role because of the degree of emotions Carter puts in the killings he commits himself or the one's that occur around him. His coldest scenes come in when for example two women are killed that were partially involved with the death of his brother, his reactions to these scenes are ice cold and truly memorable.

Caine shows Carter cares nothing for their deaths, he finds they deserve to die, but their offenses in his view do not earn them emotions from him. These moments are in stark contrast to when Carter's violent anger appears that especially piercing. Caine makes Carter's rage truly fierce and absolutely uncompromising. The combination of these outstanding scene creates one unforgettable picture of revenge that has never been matched since. This is a powerful performance by Caine that never pulls a single punch in his performance. Caine with his performance as Jack Carter creates a brilliant portrait of this cold calculating killer, who becomes even more vicious when he makes it personal.

Alternate Best Actor 1971

And the Nominees Were Not:

Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry

Michael Caine in Get Carter

Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange

Gene Wilder in Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory

Dustin Hoffman in Straw Dogs
I will be reviewing five performance from a year that are either considered to be among the five best of the year, as well as one's considered iconic or very memorable in regards to an actor's filmography. These will not necessarily all be good or great performances just notable one's for the year in question. I will perhaps even throw in a terrible performance on occasion as long as it is extremely risky, the only type of performance I want  to avoid is a phoned in boring one.

So for the first year I will take a look at performances of five men portraying not exactly the most hinged of characters. Feel free to predict the ranking as well as if any of them will unseat Gene Hackman for the French Connection, if you accurately predict my ranking of just the five you can request the next year i do, just make sure it is in a different decade, as well one performance you would like to review for that year.

Best Supporting Actor 1986: Results

5. Denholm Elliot in A Room With a View- Elliot is fine in his few scenes but he never makes much of an impact with his performance.

4. Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers- Hopper gives a moving and effective performance that might not be on the level of his work listed below, but it is still a good performance.

3. Willem Dafoe in Platoon- Dafoe realizes his good sergeant character by never overplaying the part and turning his character into a believable descent man that is more than just a moral.

2. Tom Berenger in Platoon- I give the slight edge between the two Platoon men because he has the even greater challenge to avoid becoming just simple villain. He realizes the intensity and interestingly enough when he can the humanity of his character.

1. Michael Caine in Hannah and Her Sisters- Caine wins  in this fairly strong year with his all over the place yet withdrawn and subdued performance as the man who lusts after his wife's sister. It it almost a scatter shot of emotions which Caine is able draw upon to realize his character while even finding some humor in the role as well.

Deserving Performances:
Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet
Daniel Day-Lewis in A Room With A View
Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors

Best Supporting Actor 1986: Michael Caine in Hannah and Her Sisters

Michael Caine won his first Oscar from his fourth nomination for portraying Elliot in Hannah and Her Sisters.

Hannah and Her Sisters tells of the various stories of Hannah and her sisters as well as the stories of her two husbands.

Michael Caine portrays Hannah's (Mia Farrow) second husband who from the opening scene is obsessed with and lusts after Hannah's sister Lee (Barbara Hershey). Many of the performances are quite withdrawn in this film as much of what the character comes in the form of their own narration over what their character is thinking and feeling. This is especially true of Caine's performance and character of Elliot since he not only has plenty of narration scenes but many of his scenes involve him trying to hide his feelings toward his wife sister, or keeping their later affair a secret.

Caine though effectively portrays the part despite the technical limitations that are put upon almost throughout his entire performance. From his very first scene Caine realizes Elliot's lust for his wife sister just perfectly. It is careful and subtle work by Caine that realizes his character's state quite well. Caine finds just the right line between being secretive of what Elliot wants in that unless you look closely you would not notice it. Caine has just the right simple, and subtle indications of Elliot desires for Lee. He shows it really as although he is holding back to such a degree he wants her so much that he comes through nevertheless.

Caine continues to find just the right path for his character as Elliot shyly tries to pursue the affair. Caine is quite good in the way he brings a slight comedic touch to his performance here as he could have portrayed the part completely straight. He just brings the right up amount of humor to his performance as he avoids every pushing to hard for any comedy, but makes it feel entirely natural within his performance. Caine just finds it within his character rather erratic behavior as he almost tries to woo her, without doing so, but trying to do so without being obvious about it. The funny thing is despite Elliot being erratic Caine never overplays a moment of it finding just the right tone for it all.

Caine is terrific in his moments when Elliot finally does reveal his precise feelings to Lee rather suddenly. Caine shows the transition of Elliot well as well still showing that he does not have a single emotion in the moment still showing some hesitation and embarrassment but more specifically in this one scene showing more joy over finally coming out with his true feelings finally. It is funny actually about Caine performance that there is never a single scene where he lets a single emotion override the rest Elliot is one confused fellow and Caine realizes this wonderfully. This particularly special scene for Elliot is the closest Elliot comes to feeling a single emotion which is happiness and Caine brings this out incredibly well.

Although the affair really seems to be given less and less time within the film along with Caine himself the glimpses given Caine continues to bring to life his character's unique situation. Still there is no set emotion Elliot feels about the affair, but Caine is good in showing that after Elliot has achieved the affair he has a lot less fun with it than before he actually even approached it directly, and appropriately the humor does disappear from his performance. Caine in his briefer moments shows the internal struggle that Elliot is facing almost silently. It is an effective portrait of this man who really has no idea of his path, and even in the end when it seems Elliot does seem to know what he wants still has the slightest glint of regret in his performance. It is a very strong performance by Caine that never fails to bring to life the emotional state of his character despite the complexity of it all as well as the subdued nature of the role.

Best Supporting Actor 1986

And the Nominees Were:

Tom Berenger in Platoon

Willem Dafoe in Platoon

Michael Caine in Hannah and Her Sisters

Denholm Elliott in A Room With A View

Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers

Best Supporting Actor 1999: Results

5. Michael Caine in The Cider House Rules- Caine with a strange accent gives a dull sometimes almost lifeless performance that never seems to bring the genuine emotions one would for a part that seems like it is only ever trying to be emotional.

4. Michael Clarke Duncan in The Green Mile-Duncan achieves this well with his performance by finding just the right sort of characterization for Coffey all the way through the film.

3. Jude Law in The Talented Mr. Ripley-  Law gives an performance effective because he never only seizes one note with his performance and realistically portrays both Dickie's cruel and charming side equally well.

2. Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense- It would have been very easy to lose the human element to the horror that comes into the film, but Osment always is able to keep the humanity in his character alive throughout the film in his performance.

1. Tom Cruise in Magnolia- Cruise might not be my favorite actor, but he is absolutely brilliant here absolutely succeeding with a character that could have gone wrong in a great number of ways but never does. He turns his bizarre guru in a memorable and very intriguing character.

Deserving Performances:
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Magnolia
Alan Rickman in Galaxy Quest