Henry's Top 100 Performances of All-Time: The Ones That Didn't Make It - Part Three

Part Three of my listing of the performances that, while great, are not in my Top 100...


25. Katherine Hepburn as Tracy Lord in The Philadelphia Story



Very few actresses could keep up with Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Hepburn runs circles around them.

Best Scene: The drinking scene with Jimmy Stewart.


26. Dustin Hoffman as Michael Dorsey in Tootsie



I would argue strongly that this is Hoffman's best performance. Still, he is a little too irritating for me to rank him in my Top 100. He'll have to live with the runner-up prize.

Best Scene: His first day on the set of the soap opera.


27. Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Andy Hanson in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead



One of the better working actors today but his most lauded role as Truman Capote is one that just didn't work for me. Like Jamie Foxx's Ray Charles it wasn't a performance; it was a very good impersonation with some brooding thrown in. I'll take Hoffman in this film, a movie I didn't care for, but one in which he perfectly plays a total sleazebag.

Best Scene: Andy's breakdown in the car with Marisa Tomei. "It's not fair!"


28. Djimon Hounsou as Cinque in Amistad



Best Scene: When Cinque is trying to tell Matthew McConaughey's character where they are from.


29. Jeremy Irons as Claus von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune



Best Scene: When Claus tells his legal team a joke involving Insulin.


30. Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice in Beetlejuice



One of the more underrated performances in recent memory. Keaton brings the right amount of energy, crass, creepiness and mad-cap humor to the title role. He also completely disappears into the role which is something he was not able to do as Batman. Only not in my Top 100 because the movie kind of lets him down towards the end.

Best Scene:


31. Grace Kelly as Lisa Fermont in Rear Window



It'd be very easy to say that Grace Kelly deserves to be here because she looks so damn good in Rear Window but there is more to her performance than just her beauty. Lisa Fremont is a real force - she is a much stronger person than Jimmy Stewart's character for instance - and brings a great deal of wry humor and heat to what could have been a very monotonous picture. Kelly is the battery that powers Rear Window...and considering what a great movie it is is...how could I not acknowledge her?

And of course she looks amazing in the movie.

Best Scene: When Lisa shows off her new suitcase.


32. Ben Kingsly as Don Logan in Sexy Beast



Best Scene: No no no no no no no no


33. Charles Laughton as Sir Wilfrid Robarts in Witness For the Prosecution



Laughton brings the perfect amount of comedy and bluster to his part as an exasperated lawyer in a movie that never takes itself too seriously.

Best Scene: Wildrid's early efforts to get a cigar.


34. Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf in The Talented Mr. Ripley



Now I'm a heterosexual dude...but I totally got why girls like Jude Law after I saw The Talented Mr. Ripley. Law has to make us believe that Tom Ripley would fall in love with Dickie and his life style and after the time we spend with Jude Law we can definitely understand Ripley's desires.

Best Scene:


35. Jack Lemmon as Shelley Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross



Lemmon is great as the pathetic and sad Shelley "The Machine" Levene who is just desperate to get good leads. He also inspired one of my favorite Simpsons characters of all time: Gil.

Best Scene: His final confrontation with Kevin Spacey.


36. John Malkovich as Mitch Leary in In the Line of Fire



One of the first performances I can clearly remember admiring when I saw the movie in theaters. I was 8...

Best Scene:



37. Karl Malden as Harold 'Mitch' Mitchell in A Streetcar Named Desire



Best Scene: The look of lustful wonder in his first one-on-one interaction with Vivien Leigh.


Part Four soon...

Henry Saw: Antichrist

The feel good movie of the year



Okay...where to begin?

Antichrist, the new movie by Lars von Trier, garnered a lot of buzz (both positive and negative) when it debuted at Cannes earlier this year. It was cheered, then booed, then cheered again, and it seems everyone who saw it at Cannes had a strong opinion about the film. Having seen the movie I can understand why everyone who sees Antichrist feels the need to talk about it. It is a very hard movie to digest. It is filled with both disturbing, and slightly ridiculous, imagery and very troubling themes. It is a film that demands a reaction from its audience. I was curious to see Antichrist mostly because of the controversy it caused at Cannes, and because some of the scenes I heard about sounded so bizarre, but I expected it to be kind of a disaster. I hated the only other Lars Von Trier movie I had seen (Dogville) and the whole thing sounded like a perverse mess. As it turns out, Antichrist is not a great movie, there's a lot to dislike here, but it is interesting and it does contain some brilliant aspects that allow it to rise above being just a gruesome curiosity.

The basic plot of the movie is pretty easy to summarize. The film opens with a husband and wife (played by Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg) having sex while their young son gets out of his crib and accidentally falls out of a window. It is a beautiful sequence, even if the shot of a thrusting Willem Dafoe penis was unnecessary, and is a very effective and unsettling opening to the film.

The next few scenes show Gainsbourg grieving in a hospital and being convinced by Dafoe to let him treat her depression (he is a therapist). He asks her where she would feel most afraid and she tells him their country house in the woods (which is named Eden). The rest of the movie takes place at the country home as Gainsbourg faces her grief, revisits her failed thesis on "gynocide", Dafoe discovers a disturbing secret about his wife's parenting skills, and ultimately, He and She (as they are known in the credits) come into violent conflict with one another.



This just scratches the surface of what happens in Antichrist. There are talking animals, stillborn fawns, hailing acorns, an inventive use of a grindstone, faceless women roaming the forest...it's all very strange and it is obvious that Lars von Trier is definitely trying to say something even if I can't quite figure out what that is. It is pretentious, and silly, and unpleasant... but it is quite well done.

For starters, the cinematography in Antichrist is incredible. Anthony Dod Mantle does a fantastic job with some very difficult scenes and there are some shots that made me gasp they were so well done. The acting is also strong as Dafoe and Gainsbourg are asked to do and say some pretty out there things and actually make it believable. The script lets them down, especially when She starts getting violent, but the fact that you never start laughing at them or the movie shows what a good job they do.



Finally, while I don't think the movie is actually saying something profound, and what messages I did see hints of were very questionable, the movie is interesting. It is something you want to dissect, and discuss, and can't dismiss. That's pretty rare nowadays and I have to give credit to Lars von Trier for going for it.



That's not to say this is a movie I can really recommend. Antichrist is so dreary, and full of its own importance, that it is a very easy film to hate. It's quite possible that as soon as the film ends you will want to find von Trier and punch him in the face; that's not how I reacted but I would definitely understand that reaction. The script is absurd and lacks any poignancy after the first 10 minutes. Unlike some art-films that are content to look beautiful and not worry about the script, von Trier really seems to be trying to get something across with Antichrist and he completely fails in that endeavor.

I can't tell you that you should see Antichrist. Most people I know would really dislike the movie and either laugh it off or want to burn every copy of it. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it is an important film or a great film, but I do think its a fascinating film for multiple reasons. I would say that you should only see Antichrist if you are willing to keep an open mind, are able to appreciate strong film-making even in the face of absurdity, and go with someone else so you can talk about it. Also...it would help if you aren't too squeamish.

Grade: B

Best Scene: The wonderful, if confusing, final shot.


Here is a link to Roger Ebert's analysis of the film that I first read when the film came out at Cannes. It touches on a lot of the thematic elements of the film that I did not go into.

Henry's Top 100 Performances of All-Time: The Ones That Didn't Make It - Part Two

Continuing an alphabetical listing of the performances that did not make the Top 100..


13. Daniel Day-Lewis as Gerry Conlon in In the Name of the Father



This is not the last time you will see Day-Lewis on this countdown...

Best Scene: The interrogation sequence


14. James Dean as Jim Stark in Rebel Without a Cause



One of the most iconic screen presences of all time.

Best Scene:


15. Benicio Del Toro as Javier Rodriguez in Traffic



Best Scene: When Javier goes to see Manolo's wife.


16. Robert De Niro as Bruce Pearson in Bang The Drum Slowly



They say it is much harder to play someone stupid than someone smart. De Niro is heart breaking as the simple and doomed catcher.

Best Scene: When Bruce puts on his gear as Bang The Drum Slowly is sung.


17. Leonardo Dicaprio as Billy Costigan in The Departed



Dicaprio's best performance to date as a man who has been stuck between two worlds his whole life.

Best Scene: The Cranberry Juice scene.


18. Marlene Dietrich as Christine Vole in Witness for the Prosecution



Best Scene: I'd tell ya...but that would ruin the fun of this Agatha Christie adaptation.


19. Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in Iron Man



The best performance of a comic book hero of all time. There was a lot to like about Iron Man but the thing that made it all work was Downey Jr.'s performance. He was utterly believable as the selfish and then courageous title character. It says something that the movie's most fun moments had nothing to do with Iron Man but instead when Downey Jr. was just doing his thing as Stark.

Best Scene: The dance with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow)


20. Linda Fiorentino as Bridget Gregory in The Last Seduction



Forget Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity...Fiorentino gives the best femme fatale performance of all time.

Best Scene: Fiorentino's first scene in the bar when she picks up Peter Berg.


21. Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark



Best Scene: After believing Marion to be dead, Indy confronts Belloq in a bar. "You want to talk to God? Let's go see him together, I've got nothing better to do."


22. Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in Gone With The Wind



I was surprised at how bad you end up feeling for Rhett Butler considering he's played by one of the most confident and charmed actors who has ever been on the big screen. Gable does a great job playing the humor and arrogance, and then the heartache and tragedy, that are all a part of the Butler role.

Best Scene: When a drunk Rhett confronts Scarlett after Melanie's party.


23. Alec Guinness as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai and as nearly everyone in Kind Hearts and Coronets




Best Scene: The moment of realization of what he has done in Bridge on the River Kwai


24. Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont in Singing in the Rain



One of the funnier female performances I can think of. As the irritating and spoiled Lina Lamont Jean Hagen is an integral part of this classic musical.

Best Scene:



I'll post Part 3 soon...

Henry's Top 100 Performances of All-Time: The Ones That Didn't Make It - Part One

Soon I will be unveiling my Top 100 favorite performances of all time. First, I thought I would list the performances that just missed the cut.

Hit the link to see which roles did not quite rank in my upper echelon:



So the following performances, which I will list in alphabetical order, were all considered for a place in my top 100 but did not make it in. It should be noted now that I do not feel these to be the best performances of all time; these are the roles that most stand out for me. The ones that I personally think of when I think of great acting or memorable scene stealers. So without further ado here are the also-rans with some commentary when warranted.

1. Alan Arkin as Grandpa Edwin Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine



Arkin definitely deserved the Oscar for his role as the acidic yet loving Grandfather in Little Miss Sunshine.

Best Scene: The following exchange -

Olive: Grandpa, am I pretty?
Grandpa: You are the most beautiful girl in the world.
Olive: You're just saying that.
Grandpa: No! I'm madly in love with you and it's not because of your brains or your personality.


2. Cate Blanchett as Jude in I'm Not There



Blanchett is probably the best working actress not named Meryl Streep but it was surprisingly hard to find one role that stood out for her. That is until I remembered her role as Don't Look Back era Bob Dylan in I'm Not There.

Best Scene:


3. Kenneth Branagh as Henry in Henry V



Best Scene:


4. Marlon Brando as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire



People might be surprised to see this performance not on my top 100 but I've always thought that as good as Brando is in the film, that you can kind of tell he's already played the role hundreds of time on stage already. He seems just a little bit bored. He's still fantastic though.

Best Scene: When Stanley talks about the Napoleonic Code.


5. Jeff Bridges as The Dude in The Big Lebowski



Best Scene: "I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man."


6. Ray Bulger as The Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz



Best Scene:


7. Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist



Not a showy role but Burstyn is who sells the incredible horror that you're witnessing throughout the movie.

Best Scene: When Chris MacNeil confronts an entire team of doctors and their inability to diagnose her duaghter.


8. James Cagney as George M. Cohan in Yankee Doodle Dandy



Just an incredibly energetic performance. A totally unexpected turn from "Mr. Tough Guy" James Cagney.

Best Scene:


9. Michael Caine as Jasper in Children of Men



One of the more charming actors alive in his most touching role.

Best Scene: When Jasper says goodbye to his wife.


10. Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker in In the Loop



Perhaps the best swearing ever seen on the big screen. In the Loop was one of the under-rated gems of the year and Peter Capaldi is what made the movie work. In a just world Capaldi would get an Academy Award nomination for his role as Malcolm Tucker.

Best Scene: When Peter Capaldi and James Gandolfini face off.


11. Glenn Close as Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons



Best Scene: Taking off her makeup at the very end.


12. Bette Davis as Baby Jane Hudson in Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?



Yes, it is campy and over-the-top but Davis' performance as Baby Jane is also terrifying and incredibly brave. The only thing keeping it out of my top 100 is that I don't think she totally nails the breakdown at the end of the film.

Best Scene:


I'll post Part 2 of the "close but no cigar" performances soon....

Henry Saw: The Informant!

Maybe Steven Soderbergh isn't that good of a director...


The Informant! isn't a good movie. What's shocking is that it is not even an okay movie. It's one of the most irritating movies I've seen in some time. I had a much harder time sitting through this film then the much ballyhooed Antichrist (a review is coming). Everything from the script, to the music, to the production design, seems designed to make the movie frustrating and cloying.

IMDB's plot description: Mark Whitacre has worked for lysine developing company ADM for many years and has even found his way into upper management. But nothing has prepared him for the job he is about to undertake - being a spy for the FBI. Unwillingly pressured into working as an informant against the illegal price-fixing activities of his company, Whitacre gradually adopts the idea that he's a true secret agent. But as his incessant lies keep piling up, his world begins crashing down around him.



From the outset I was a little bit worried. The film's opening credits, showing someone playing around with a tape recorder, were lifeless and used a 1970's type font for no reason in particular. In fact, this movie which is set in the early 1990's, uses a 1970's aesthetic throughout the picture. The score, which was composed by Marvin Hamlisch who also worked on Woody Allen's Bananas and 3 Men and a Baby, is among the worst I've heard in some time. The music actually made me want to punch the movie. It is totally jarring with what is happening on the screen and is a constant annoyance.

For some reason Soderbergh decided to make the movie look more like it is set in 1974 instead of the actual 1994. I could almost understand this if the movie was an echo or parody of all the paranoid thrillers of the 70s (All the Presidents Men, Serpico, The Conversation) but it absolutely isn't; if this film is referencing any other film it is 1999's The Insider. When Quentin Tarantino gave his film Jackie Brown a sort of "stuck in the 1970s" look it made sense given the material...I honestly have no clue why Soderbergh made this choice.



The actual plot of the movie is interesting. I highly recommend listening to the This American Life episode that inspired Scott Z. Burns to write the screenplay to The Informant!. It is an intriguing tale of corporate crime, espionage, and utter self-destruction. I even understand why they decided to play it like a comedy as films like The Insider and Silkwood do provide material for parody. The problem is that The Informant! isn't funny or dramatically interesting. It's failure on both counts and ends up being a flat mess.

Matt Damon is just okay here, I have no idea why he's getting rave reviews, and is really hurt by the awful script. The weakest part of the script that there is a running voice-over of Mark Whitacre's inner monologue. It's not revealing or amusing, and is another factor in the film's ability to grate. The rest of the supporting cast does nothing to standout except for the fact that much of the cast is made up of comedic performers playing it mostly straight which I found more distracting than anything else.



Going back to Soderbergh - look it is obvious that the man can, to quote my uncle Craig, make a movie. Out of Sight, Traffic, and to a lesser extent Ocean's 11, are all fantastic films. The Limey, Erin Brockovich, and Ocean's 13 are all decent as well. Rarely though have I seen a director who can reach such highs also manage to achieve such massive lows as Soderbergh has. Ocean's 12, The Good German, and now The Informant! have been among the most obnoxious and failure-ridden movies I've seen in the last decade. They've all managed to make me angry at everyone involved with the making of the film and all seem to have been made more for Soderbergh than for the audience.

The Informant! is a bad movie.

Unlike some other films made by talented directors which I didn't like, but could see the talent fueling them, I can't even say this is a well made film. The Informant! has an interesting story to tell, and a twist that if played right could have been a great reveal, but messes it all up. What we get instead is a film that has nothing to offer but a headache. I wanted to like The Informant!, I want the Oscar movie season to start already, but this is definitely not the film that kicks it off.

Grade: A very low C-

Best Scene: When Mark Whitacre tells the FBI about the "little" crimes he's been committing.

Henry Saw: 9

A brief review of the innovative but disappointing 9


9 is one of the best looking films of the year. If you are interested in computer animation, or science fiction world-building, or post-apocalyptic films, then you should see 9. Shane Acker has taken his short film and built a feature length picture that takes full advantage of having more money and more space to work with. When I first saw the trailer I was worried the film would feel too much like a video game and I was pleased to see that's not the feeling I got at all; 9 has the feel of a real epic and if it had been an 80 minute silent film I believe that Acker's vision would have been enough to keep me entertained.

So it is unfortunate that Acker made a "talkie" as he completely fails in every regard when it comes to plot, character, or dialogue. Here is Focus Feature's description of the plot:

"When 9 first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where all humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them."



The film's narrative never comes together. It is clear that Acker has a lot of solid ideas - the main one being having 9 different characters who all have different designs and personalities fighting to stay alive in a dangerous world - but the actual plot makes no real sense. While I'm okay with there being some mystery, and not being told everything, I should have some sense of what the heroes are fighting for or what the ultimate goal is. The 9 characters are all pretty bland, especially the title character voiced by Elijah Wood, and only Jennifer Connelly's 7 and Martin Landau's 2 hold any interest for the viewer.

The animation is, as I said before, excellent but the action scenes lacked any spark. Perhaps it was the music, or the fact that the actual sense of physical scale was never well established, but only a few of the action beats took full advantage of the omniscient camera that can be used in animated films.

I liked 9 but I was also disappointed by it. It was just missing a certain edge (but don't think this is a kiddie film...it earns that PG-13 rating) and energy that I expected from a film produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted). It's a cool entry into the animated film genre, and I am excited to see what Shane Acker can do next, but this film just didn't totally work for me. Maybe next time he'll have an actual story to tell instead of coming up with a plot that's just an excuse to take us around his imagination.

Grade: B-

Best Scene: The introduction of 7.