You're gonna be bothered by how cool I am.

No, you haven't escaped my posts on Premiere's 100 Greatest Performances list - muahahahaha! I stopped doing them for a while because I couldn't get hold of a copy of #85, among other things. But now I've seen it, so back to the list I go!

86. Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony
Strangers on a Train (1951)
( I have a theory that you should do everything before you die. )


85. Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer
Frances (1982)
( Frances Elena Farmer. Want me to spell it? )

No, you haven't escaped my posts on Premiere's 100 Greatest Performances list - muahahahaha! I stopped doing them for a while because I couldn't get hold of a copy of #85, among other things. But now I've seen it, so back to the list I go!

86. Robert Walker as Bruno Anthony
Strangers on a Train (1951)
( I have a theory that you should do everything before you die. )


85. Jessica Lange as Frances Farmer
Frances (1982)
( Frances Elena Farmer. Want me to spell it? )

87. John Wayne as Ethan Edwards
The Searchers (1956)




One of the greatest Westerns ever made - possibly THE greatest. It's difficult not to like John Wayne, but his antihero Ethan takes some effort to feel affection for. He spends years looking for his niece Lucy. Eventually the drive to find Lucy becomes, for Ethan, a desire to find her and kill her - because she has been assimilated into the culture of the Indians that Ethan despises so deeply. This is a really meaty character that gave Wayne a chance to show that he was much more than a walk and a talk.

This film shows its age in the area of racial sensitivity, but in all other respects it is a masterpiece. A true piece of art that explores the gray areas of Western "heroes" - no small feat for a movie of its time.

87. John Wayne as Ethan Edwards
The Searchers (1956)




One of the greatest Westerns ever made - possibly THE greatest. It's difficult not to like John Wayne, but his antihero Ethan takes some effort to feel affection for. He spends years looking for his niece Lucy. Eventually the drive to find Lucy becomes, for Ethan, a desire to find her and kill her - because she has been assimilated into the culture of the Indians that Ethan despises so deeply. This is a really meaty character that gave Wayne a chance to show that he was much more than a walk and a talk.

This film shows its age in the area of racial sensitivity, but in all other respects it is a masterpiece. A true piece of art that explores the gray areas of Western "heroes" - no small feat for a movie of its time.

Still chipping away at the Premiere list, and YAY! One I had seen before starting this project!

88. Christopher Walken as Nick Chevotarevich
The Deer Hunter (1978)



This is the kind of movie that could only have been made in the 1970s. Incredibly raw and unafraid to demand our attention for as long as it needs to. The first 30 minutes or so are very atypical for the opening of a movie. That section of the movie is entirely devoted to establishing characters and their relationships with one another, and it almost all takes place at a wedding. We need that - we need those introductions to set us up for what these characters go through for the rest of the film.

Robert De Niro plays the main character Michael. He represents us - our eyes and ears, and the voice of hard-earned experience through a war that no one understood. But Walken's character, Nick, is the real heart of the film. At the time the film was made, Walken was a gorgeous man, something that certainly didn't hurt him in portraying the epitome of innocence lost. When he and his fellow soldiers are being forced to play Russian Roulette early in the film, it breaks him. You can see the torture all over his face. Then later, when we see him for the last time - again playing Russian Roulette, but this time by choice - the change is breathtaking. He doesn't even recognize his best friend who has come back to Vietnam to take him home and even spits in his face. When he puts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger, he barely blinks. His face is hollow, his big, beautiful eyes are blank, and he couldn't care less what happens to him - because, in every way that matters, he's already dead.

An incredible performance in an incredible movie - but perhaps one that you can't watch that often. This is a movie that hurts to watch.

Still chipping away at the Premiere list, and YAY! One I had seen before starting this project!

88. Christopher Walken as Nick Chevotarevich
The Deer Hunter (1978)



This is the kind of movie that could only have been made in the 1970s. Incredibly raw and unafraid to demand our attention for as long as it needs to. The first 30 minutes or so are very atypical for the opening of a movie. That section of the movie is entirely devoted to establishing characters and their relationships with one another, and it almost all takes place at a wedding. We need that - we need those introductions to set us up for what these characters go through for the rest of the film.

Robert De Niro plays the main character Michael. He represents us - our eyes and ears, and the voice of hard-earned experience through a war that no one understood. But Walken's character, Nick, is the real heart of the film. At the time the film was made, Walken was a gorgeous man, something that certainly didn't hurt him in portraying the epitome of innocence lost. When he and his fellow soldiers are being forced to play Russian Roulette early in the film, it breaks him. You can see the torture all over his face. Then later, when we see him for the last time - again playing Russian Roulette, but this time by choice - the change is breathtaking. He doesn't even recognize his best friend who has come back to Vietnam to take him home and even spits in his face. When he puts the gun to his head and pulls the trigger, he barely blinks. His face is hollow, his big, beautiful eyes are blank, and he couldn't care less what happens to him - because, in every way that matters, he's already dead.

An incredible performance in an incredible movie - but perhaps one that you can't watch that often. This is a movie that hurts to watch.

It's been ages, but I'm finally going back to my posts on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances list.

89. Gong Li as Juxian
Farewell My Concubine (1993)



Yeah, so this is where I suddenly become an uncultured boob, because I just didn't get this movie. I mean, yes it's very tragic and epic - and it looks absolutely gorgeous. But ... I didn't feel for the characters as much as I probably should have. And the culture barrier was a bit too much for me with this movie. I didn't understand the historical context very well, and that is a huge part of what motivates the characters and pushes the story forward.

Gong Li plays Juxian, a former prostitute who comes between two men that star together in the Peking Opera and have been friends since childhood. She struck me as the most sympathetic character in the story, and she is certainly not your average "other woman." She accepts that her husband is loved deeply by another man, and she is understanding almost to a fault. Her greatest moment is the last time we see her face, after she concedes (as it appeared to me, at least) defeat to Douzi.

I probably would have enjoyed it much more if I were more familiar with Chinese history and culture, but I didn't connect with this film at all, except for in fleeting moments.

It's been ages, but I'm finally going back to my posts on Premiere magazine's 100 Greatest Performances list.

89. Gong Li as Juxian
Farewell My Concubine (1993)



Yeah, so this is where I suddenly become an uncultured boob, because I just didn't get this movie. I mean, yes it's very tragic and epic - and it looks absolutely gorgeous. But ... I didn't feel for the characters as much as I probably should have. And the culture barrier was a bit too much for me with this movie. I didn't understand the historical context very well, and that is a huge part of what motivates the characters and pushes the story forward.

Gong Li plays Juxian, a former prostitute who comes between two men that star together in the Peking Opera and have been friends since childhood. She struck me as the most sympathetic character in the story, and she is certainly not your average "other woman." She accepts that her husband is loved deeply by another man, and she is understanding almost to a fault. Her greatest moment is the last time we see her face, after she concedes (as it appeared to me, at least) defeat to Douzi.

I probably would have enjoyed it much more if I were more familiar with Chinese history and culture, but I didn't connect with this film at all, except for in fleeting moments.

Looking forward to a new episode of House tonight, but especially the season finale of Veronica Mars. Who was really behind the bus crash???? I'm dying to know!

On to another notch on the Premiere performance list...

96. Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn
Born Yesterday (1950)



Like many movies that have standout performances, Born Yesterday is kind of "meh" as a film. It's kind of straddling the line between classic and contemporary. But Judy Holliday is just marvelous - and, to own the truth, quite relatable. There were lots of times during the movie when I would cringe with empathy for her. I've been her loads of times in my life.

What's interesting about her is that she's not dumb - she's actually quite bright. She's just never been exposed to books and newspapers and the other things that educate the people of the world. No one has cared to show her or teach her anything, because a woman like her (in the opinion of some) doesn't really need to know things like that.

It's extremely fun to watch her discover things and think for herself. And, though I'm not fond of soapboxes, I think this movie was an appropriate place to express the notion that ignorance is a dangerous thing.

Looking forward to a new episode of House tonight, but especially the season finale of Veronica Mars. Who was really behind the bus crash???? I'm dying to know!

On to another notch on the Premiere performance list...

96. Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn
Born Yesterday (1950)



Like many movies that have standout performances, Born Yesterday is kind of "meh" as a film. It's kind of straddling the line between classic and contemporary. But Judy Holliday is just marvelous - and, to own the truth, quite relatable. There were lots of times during the movie when I would cringe with empathy for her. I've been her loads of times in my life.

What's interesting about her is that she's not dumb - she's actually quite bright. She's just never been exposed to books and newspapers and the other things that educate the people of the world. No one has cared to show her or teach her anything, because a woman like her (in the opinion of some) doesn't really need to know things like that.

It's extremely fun to watch her discover things and think for herself. And, though I'm not fond of soapboxes, I think this movie was an appropriate place to express the notion that ignorance is a dangerous thing.