Skip to main content

To Be, Or Not to Be Olivier

Very infrequently does the opportunity to play an acting legend present itself . More seldom when the actor is one you have been compared to your entire career.

Kenneth Branagh has been steeped in Olivier's shadow for years, despite that no men have done more to revive Shakespeare than Branagh and Olivier. Both, well versed in stage acting, crowned with honors, etc.

Branagh is no stranger to adapting Olivier's work—he remade Sleuth in 2007, as well as wrote and directed adaptations of Henry V and Hamlet—so playing the man may have been too tempting to pass up. Few men are as decorated as Laurence Olivier (10 nominations, 3 Oscar wins) and playing Sir Laurence may finally be the push for Branagh to win the gold statue himself.

Branagh plays Olivier as a man of contradictions. He desperately wants to be as big a star as Monroe, but his selection of roles makes that transition almost impossible. He nails the voice, mannerisms, and the odd mix of modesty and arrogance that compelled Olivier to rage against others like a third world dictator. With that said Branagh still plays him as the talented man he was. And more importantly, with authenticity.

Popular posts from this blog

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9)  Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages,  Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

Paprika vs. Inception

Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes  a review declaring  Toy Story 3  to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials  he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out  a glowing review of  Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !