In Character: Hank Azaria

One of the things I love most about Hank Azaria is his unpredictably. You never know what he’s going to do. If he’s playing an out-and-out comedic character, Azaria’s dramatic skills may sneak in a heartfelt moment. If you’re watching a more serious Azaria performance, there’s a good chance his comic timing will show itself. 

A maestro impressionist and voice artist, Azaria has proven his chops in so many different fields. He’s as fun to watch (and listen to) today as he was 25 years ago. Actually, given his recently Emmy win for guest starring on Ray Donovan, I think it’s fair to say that Azaria is only getting better. 

In Character: Liev Schreiber

I’m on a serious Liev Schreiber kick right now. Could be because his excellent Showtime drama, Ray Donovan, is nearing the end of its great fourth season. Could be because Schreiber is garnering excellent reviews out of the Venice Film Festival for his portrayal of famed boxer Chuck Wepner (i.e. the guy who inspired Stallone to write Rocky) in The Bleeder. Or it could simply be because Schreiber is one of my favorite contemporary actors. I’ve been a fan of Schreiber’s since he began popping up in indie films in the mid-‘90s. Since then, no matter if he’s in comedies or dramas, big films or small, I always make it a point to seek out his work.

In Character: Ed Harris

Ed Harris is one of those rare actors who can make most any film worth it. With his explosive intensity and furious emotion, Harris has long since proved himself as one of film’s finest character actors. There are many amazing performances to choose from when highlighting Harris, best work; below are simply my favorites.

Top 10 Films of 2016 (so far)

We’re a few weeks past the halfway mark of 2016, and before summer winds down and Oscar season heats up, I thought it’d be fun to list the best flicks I’ve seen so far in this year. As always, release dates are based on American theatrical releases.

Top 66 I Love About The Insider (that no one talks about)

Michael Mann’s The Insider is a smart, adult, corporate thriller that I gain more from every time I watch it. I remember seeing it in the theater at age 14, sitting next to my old man as he whispered to me what was happening, the fancy language of the film consistently going over my head. I’ve always loved The Insider, but lately, I’ve become obsessed with its cinematography, immaculate writing of such dry material, and the details packed in it. Perhaps more than any of Mann’s films, The Insider best encapsulates his insistence on not treating the audience like idiots. You really have to pay attention to this film to fully grasp everything that’s going on.

I typically cover already-popular films in this “No One Talks About” series, but my sincere hope is that this post motivates some to check out this somewhat forgotten masterpiece. Enjoy!

The Neon Demon

I see far fewer new movies in the theater than I used to. Career focus, readjusted life priorities – but mostly, I can call the shots of damn near every new movie I see. And as I get older, that notion alone makes buying a movie ticket less alluring. I know people take comfort in the boy getting the girl, the superheroes winning the day, the social justice warriors implanting their message, but for $18 a ticket, it’s simply not for me anymore. And yeah okay, nothing new – the movie freak bitching about the current piss poor state of film. But here’s my point: though I do feel the general quality of most movies is digressing, good films are made every year, and The Neon Demon is chief among them this year.

My Favorite Scene: Ali

Michael Mann’s recreation of The Rumble in the Jungle is my favorite boxing scene in all of film. Mann’s insistence on mimicry is a big reason why, as much of the fight in Ali is executed exactly how the bout happened in real life. But moreover, it’s the emotion of Mann’s scene that sticks with me. Throughout the fight, we’re privy to Muhammad Ali’s inner monologue, a monologue the fighter never shared in real life. Ali famously kept his strategy for battling George Foreman a secret. Many suspect this was because he didn’t know how to beat Foreman; he would have to face Foreman first to determine a resolute tactic.

In Character: Mark Ruffalo

No matter what role Mark Ruffalo is playing, he embodies his characters so specifically, that he immediately convinces us that they’re are real. What a joy it has been to watch Ruffalo’s career morph from obscure independent wasteland to wildly revered character actor. One of the things I respect most about Ruffalo is that he has the capacity to be one of the biggest actors in the world. He’s continually offered major roles in massive movies, but instead of solely taking those, he chooses his roles based on the strength and complexity of the character. Six such characters are listed below.

Top 66 Things I Love About The Exorcist (that no one talks about)

There’s never a bad time to watch William Friedkn’s The Exorcist. It’s as scary, smart, and engaging as it has ever been. The film is 43 years old and is in no danger of becoming any less timeless. The music, the acting, William Peter Blatty’s script, the cinematography, the make-up – it’s classic cinema personified. Here’s a look at a handful of things I love about the film (the director’s cut, to be clear) that are rarely discussed.

Knight of Cups

“You think when you reach a certain age, things will start making sense. Then you find out you’re just as lost as you were before.”

That was the key. That was the passage that unlocked Knight of Cups for me. We hear the words midway through Terrence Malick’s latest visual poem, by the actor Brian Dennehy, who occasionally appears in Knight of Cups as Christian Bale’s father. This being a Malick film, Dennehy gently eases the words out in a melancholic voiceover. Malick’s voiceovers are obscure, lyrical passages. They blend together, subtly evoking emotion. It could be easy to miss the Dennehy passage quoted above, but when I heard it, Knight of Cups suddenly made sense. Everything clicked. I understood the world. I understood the tone, the feeling. I understood the plight of the main character, Rick (Bale). I understood what Malick was trying to say, even if my interpretation wasn’t what Malick was exactly trying to say.

Hunger: A Shot-for-Shot Breakdown

The amount of editing cuts in a film depends entirely on the way the filmmaker chooses to tell the story. Though it’s hard to calculate the average amount of cuts for all films, most modern action films typically contain upwards of 3,000 cuts – the idea is that by cutting so often, especially in an intense action sequence, viewers will feel the intended frantic energy of the scene. Other genres, like melodramatic foreign films, typically contain less than 500 cuts. Perhaps here, the intention is to hold shots longer as a way of maintaining tension.

The first time I saw Steve McQueen’s first feature, Hunger, I was immediately taken with how the film only cut when it was absolutely necessary. So I thought it’d be fun to break Hunger down and examine every shot/editing cut in the film. Admittedly, this was a risky idea. I’ve never done anything like this before – would my comments grow horribly redundant? Would I literally have something to say about every shot? Ultimately, I found that the only time I was being redundant was when I described a series of shots that lasted for less than a second, so I decided to occasionally leave descriptions for those shots blank.

The result is an immersive exercise for those interested in cinematography, editing, and, of course, Hunger itself. I hope you like what I discovered within the carefully constructed world of Hunger.

Music Video: Fossils

Since moving to LA, there has been a direct correlation to how much I post on this blog. I’m typically so busy with filmmaking stuff, that I don’t have time to post regularly on here. And while I do miss being more engaged with the film blogging community, it’s been damn fulfilling to chase after my dreams.

Top 10 Bad Scenes in Great Movies

Last week, I published my list of the best great scenes in bad movies. Following the rules of reciprocity, here’s my list of the best bad scenes in great movies. Some things listed here are entire acts of films, others are poorly placed lines of dialogue, or cheap sound design. The point is, every scene here took me out of the great movies they are featured in. Please be warned that minor spoilers lurk within. Feel free to share some notable bad scenes from great films as well!

Top 10 Great Scenes in Bad Movies

Truly great scenes in otherwise bad movies are difficult to find. Much harder than the inverse (a list of which I’ll be posting shortly). If a movie is bad, it’s typically just bad. But below, I’ve come up with a few examples of when bad films showed great promise, if ever so fleetingly. Please note that I’m not using this list to focus solely on performances (i.e., great performances in bad movies), but rather entire sequences. Remember to share your favorite scenes from bad movies as well!

In Character: John Goodman

Since I began my In Character series nearly five years ago, readers have consistently requested that I cover John Goodman. And for good reason. After all, John Goodman is THE character actor’s character actor, and he’s good in anything, no matter the quality of the overall project. But he’s a tough actor to summarize. His body of work is massive (144 current film and television credits), and his range is impeccable. So over the years, I’ve been stuck: do I list my favorite Goodman performances, or do I present a more balanced portrait of his full capabilities as an actor (i.e. a villain, a good guy, a goof, a “straight” man, etc.)? Ultimately, I just said screw it and went with the former. So, below is not an all-inclusive look at Goodman’s career, but rather the roles I remain most fond of. Do feel free to share yours as well!