Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward "Eddie" Blake a.k.a The Comedian in Watchmen.

It is not a spoiler to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character The Comedian dies in the film as his death is depicted in the opening scene of the film. The Comedian death acts as the catalyst for the plot basically as Rorschach tries to investigate why the man was killed. As in some mysteries that starts with the death of someone we learn more about them through a series of flashbacks. This is certainly the case for The Comedian who spent his time influencing more than a few events as well as people, and we slowly learn more about him through the memories of the various people in the film all of whom were also former heroes or in one case a former villain. Although The Comedian was known as one of the super heroes the Comedian is far from being someone that anyone would likely call a hero.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has quite a challenge in the deceased Comedian as he surely is an extremely unlikable character, and it would be easy enough to make him repulsive to the point of being unwatchable. In the earliest scene with him chronologically we see the Comedian meeting with the early superhero group known as the Minutemen. After having their photo taken together the Comedian soon after proceeds to try and rape Sally Jupiter also known as the Silk Spectre. Despite the nature of the character Morgan carries himself with this extremely sly charm and he turns the Comedian into a particularly charismatic figure in almost all of his flashbacks no matter what deplorable act he may be committing. This includes his starting act which Morgan is brutally effective in.

The odd charm he does bring to the comedian does not waver even in his attempted rape sequence in fact Morgan portrays The Comedian actions are part of a certain ego and the philosophy that Morgan helps to creates in the man. Morgan creates a fierce presence and personality with the Comedian which affirms The Comedian's behavior as a man who very much feels he is wiser than others, but problematic when intertwined with his cynical nature. The Comedian despite being one of the heroes holds absolutely no views that the world is anything but a bad place with worthless people in them. Morgan plays the cynicism perfectly into any scene as almost that since everyone is bad The Comedian might as well have a good time well he is here, and Morgan portrays the joy with his unpleasant behavior as an effortless combination.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes a strong impact in every one of the flashback scenes in which he appears. Morgan tears through every scene he is in the realization of that nihilistic philosophy, and every one his responses to the more optimistic thoughts of the others truly carry the right sting. Morgan though goes even further with his performance though and one of the best elements of his performance is realizing that slight morality in The Comedian that is perhaps one of the few reasons he ever claimed to be on the side of the law. One of his best scenes is when he and the powerful Dr. Manhattan confront each after the Vietnam war. The scene has Comedian commit yet another atrocity as he murders a local woman he impregnated. Morgan's fantastic because again he is unflinching in showing The Comedian's action come from his mindset, but what is most striking is just the briefest moment of regret when he bluntly questions why Dr. Manhattan did not simply stop him.

Morgan is terrific by bringing a great power to these mild moments of a heart beneath all of The Comedian's hatred. Morgan gives this moments an actual poignancy by earning them so completely, and making Comedian far more than just an evil man. Morgan in turn also explains the seemingly unexplainable scenes as he reported by an old nemesis. The scene has The Comedian weeping filled with regret as he seems unable to deal with something which he sees worse than all that he does in his time, which eventually is revealed to be his knowledge of Ozymandias's plan which involves mass murder. All of Morgan's other scenes makes the breakdown of The Comedian genuine to the man he creates through the rest of his performance. Although his screen time is sparse Morgan makes a profound impact on the film, and honestly creates the supposed influence of the Comedian on the other characters. He meets the complexity of the character head on and gives a profound depiction of all the memories the man crafted with his life.

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

Jackie Earle Haley did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Rorschach in Watchmen.

Watchmen I may call an admirable failure or at least an intriguing misfire. It has some pretty dreadful elements in it. One thing that hurts more scenes than I would like to count is the horrendous sound effects Zach Snyder decided to use in the fight scenes, which makes all of them sound at least slightly silly. Another is the nature of the performances many which are terrible such as many of the several supporting roles like the Nixon impersonator for example, but also unfortunately two of the major roles are underwhelming. The awfully wooden Malin Akerman makes nothing out of her role and even worse, for the film anyway, is Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt known as Ozymandias. Goode is a black hole in terms of charisma and makes a potentially fascinating character into just a woefully inadequate and obvious villain, shame they did not get Michael Fassbender as he would have been perfect for the role.

The film though is not all bad though and its sheer ambitious does come through in a positive fashion as there are definitely some great scenes within it especially the opening credits sequence. There are also good performances to be seen including the almost lead, but not quite, Jackie Earle Haley who plays Rorschach. Rorschach for much of the film is are point of view character as he narrates, via his diary, his investigation into the death of the former superhero known as the Comedian. For much of the film Haley is in a full costume including the white mask with ever changing Rorschach tests that cover his face. This does not seem to limit Haley in the slightest though, going right down to his physical portrayal of Rorschach. There is a certain introverted, and peculiar style of movement that Haley employs which really makes him stand out. In his ever so slightly erratic movement Haley suggests the state of mind of the man as well as the violent capabilities of the man.

Haley in the role uses a voice that is rather similar to the one used by Christian Bale when he was in costume as Batman. Although the voice technically is extremely close with the extra gruff and grit Hale's is far superior in this case for two reasons. One being that Haley frankly articulates better to begin with making it actually bring some menace rather than letting the voice be overly distracting all by itself. The other reason being that it alludes well to the truth we learn about Rorschach later on. Haley never allows Rorschach to be simply an image as he easily could have been. Haley makes himself engaging every moment he is onscreen and makes Rorschach a compelling character to follow through the investigation, and his performance actually roped me along even through some of the rougher patches in the film, and by rougher patches I do not mean violent scenes.

Eventually through the investigation Rorschach falls into a trap and right into police custody where his mask is taken and the real Rorschach is revealed. Jackie Earle Haley actually appears out of the costume in a few other scenes before it is shown that he is Rorschach. He appears in the background many times as a man holding an "The End is Near" sign, but it is a complete revelation that this seemingly meek man is in fact imposing vigilante. This change in Rorschach is technically quite extreme and Haley is rather masterful in portraying this rather extreme transition for the character as we meet Walter Kovacs the man behind the mask. The mask is in question though as Rorschach refers to the mask as a face as the police rip it off and we see that Rorschach is not the most mentally stable of men. The particular twist involves what Rorschach exactly is in regards to Kovacs.

Haley as Kovacs brings a blank almost timid face as if without his "face" he might as well be naked in the world. Haley presents Kovacs as a man who seems almost lost in this state, and portrays the fact that really Kovacs and Rorschach are two different entities. In his Kovacs Haley gives a quieter more realistic voice, and presents Kovacs as particularly meek in his physical manner as well. In this Haley shows that Rorschach was something that was created at one time by Kovacs therefore explaining the put on nature of Rorschach, yet was created for so long that what he created become its own entity that dominates over whatever Kovacs may have been before hand. Haley very effectively shows that whenever Kovacs is threatened the Rorschach voice and manner returns as almost a safety mechanism that emerges whenever the Rorschach personality is needed.

Jackie Earle Haley's performance is excellent as he really let's us into the deranged mind of Rorschach and his execution of the revelation of Rorschach is almost flawless through the way he had set up the character in all of the scenes proceeding that moment. Haley's best scene though I think comes at the end of the film when the watchmen learn why the comedian was killed and are forced to keep silent about a mass murder in order to avoid nuclear annihilation. Rorschach's own philosophy refuses to leave a crime unpunished and he is forced basically to die due to this belief. Haley is surprisingly heartbreaking in this scene as he so powerfully combines the two sides of the man together for his end. He begins with the Rorschach character as he states his beliefs with conviction, then so delicately reveals the man understanding that he must die for this, which is most pronounced in the way Haley makes the growl waver and we seem to finally see Rorschach and Kovacs meet. This is a fantastic performance by Jackie Earle Haley, one that I found only grew stronger on re-watch, and honestly I could not imagine anyone in the role but Haley.  

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins

Nicholas Tse did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Deng "Si" Sidi in Bodyguards and Assassins.

Bodyguards and Assassins tells the story of democratic revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen and his followers attempt to stave off assassination. The film is many things in that it is telling a real story yet has the purposefully stylistic action scenes. It is shaped into two halves one that basically introduces all of the bodyguards of Sun and their back stories, then the second half is a long haul as assassins attack the bodyguards who are defending Sun. In turn it is a bit of a mixed bag as the first half is a bit crowded, but the second half quite entertaining and effective.

Nicholas Tse plays one of the followers of Sun who drives a rickshaw and seems to be friends with pretty much everyone. Si is a relatively simple part in the first half as Si is just a lighter part there for a little comic relief and pleasantness among all the fighting and death. Well Tse certainly fulfills this duty as he is incredibly endearing in every scene he is in. He just has this warmth and energy in these scenes that he makes Si quite likable. Tse very skillfully plays the part making sure that Si never becomes precocious, but rather just earns Si's whole bright demeanor. His screen time is relatively scattered but he does a good job of making himself known whenever he is on screen with his enjoyable presence that does well to make the proceedings seem a bit less bleak.

The second half of the film basically is when every bodyguard takes their turn protecting the decoy Sun  used to distract the assassins. In turn each of the bodyguards get their own very dramatic death scene as they sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Si is not exactly a bodyguard really rather he is just driving the rickshaw that the fake Sun is hiding in. For most of the journey though Tse is very moving in his portrayal of Si's reactions to the deaths of his compatriots as well as seeing one of his friends taking up the dangerous job as the fake Sun. Tse role is still relatively simple but he makes the most of basically every quick reaction shot he is allowed, bringing a great deal poignancy to each moment of the gauntlet.

Eventually the numbers are thinned to such an extent that Si himself must attempt to stop the head assassin even though he is obviously not a fighter, and certainly is no match for the man. All Si really can do is grab the man's leg in his futile attempt to stop him and Tse makes the scene very affecting because of how much passion he puts in the moment, and Si's sacrifice is truly felt. It only makes it more heartbreaking because of how much he made you care about Si before this point. This is a fairly simple performance and because of the large ensemble nature of the film his screen time is brief. Tse more than fulfills the needs of the part though and even with those limitations  he manages to give a good performance that manages to be one of the most memorable aspects of the film.

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank and Michael Fassbender and August Diehl in Inglourious Basterds

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Connor in Fish Tank.

Fish Tank is a somewhat interesting companion piece to An Education as it is a very similar story about teenage girl's, in this film named Mia(Katie Jarvis), relationship with an older man but modern set and considerably grittier.

All of the performances by Michael Fassbender that I have reviewed have been directed by Steve McQueen and have resulted in particularly intense and emotional performances. This film is not directed by Steve McQueen and in turn results in far more casual performance from Fassbender as he portrays a seemingly average guy who is the new boyfriend of Mia's mother Joanne(Kierston Wareing). Although he is the mother's boyfriend he attempts to befriend Mia her daughter as well as her younger daughter at the same time. Early on it is certainly interesting to Fassbender in a rather different situation as Connor appears to want to bond with the family.

Fassbender is very good in frankly downplaying his usual intensity and giving a natural portrayal of a different sort of role. What Fassbender does best is just how particularly charming he is in these scenes. Fassbender makes Connor's reactions with the family feel genuine and most of all he has the right charisma in the part. It is not overpowering in nature but Fassbender is very good in showing exactly why everyone would be so taken with Connor early on. He's supremely likable here but what is key is that he has the charm of a rapscallion. Fassbender naturally suggests that Connor probably is far from perfect to begin with, but he basically is able to show why the family basically could ignore the red flags about him.

Connor develops a seemingly strong relationship with Mia. Fassbender again plays these scenes very well by just ever so slightly side stepping what Connor's intentions are exactly. On one hand Fassbender brings some warmth which Fassbender cleverly even show is genuine, Connor even goes so far as to seemingly support Mia's dream of dancing. On the other there is a constant flirtatious manner in their interjections yet again Fassbender does not overplay his hand. To a certain extent Fassbender suggests that Connor could merely be just the way he is and it could be just his harmless way of interacting with people. That ends up not really being the case one night after Connor and Mia's mother had been drinking, and later Connor and Mia are left alone together.

Connor proceeds to have sex with Mia although Fassbender again plays the scene well by not turning Connor into a monster, but rather portraying him as a man who has do something wrong in the heat of the moment. Connor instantly regrets the decision and Fassbender again does well by showing Connor's guilt to genuine particularly since he changes Connor's attitude for the rest of his performance. All the cheer and charm really as Connor interacts completely differently and Fassbender makes it obvious that what he has done has changed Connor. Once again though he does a great balancing act though letting it be seen two ways one being that Connor honestly regrets what he has done, and the other being he is merely sorry for what could happen to him because of it.

Fassbender gives a very good performance here because he does frankly mix it up a bit. This is a far less intense of a work than so many of his performances but Fassbender proves here that he deinfetely can dial it back when he needs to. His Connor is never just a single element with his character and all the revelation feel believable through his performance in almost every sense. He properly alludes to what will come as he should by really letting the revelations in plain sight, but just being just so charming that he kinda makes you ignore the warning. In doing that he also makes the whole set up of the family buying into believable because of his how well he realizes this particularly cad.

Michael Fassbender also did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Lieutenant Archie Hicox in Inglorious Basterds nor did August Diehl for portraying Major Dieter Hellstrom.

It is a bit of shame that despite its large ensemble which contains several performances worthy of mention they were all completely overshadowed by Christoph Waltz's performance as Hans Landa. Waltz is indeed worthy of the praise he received, but the other strong performances in the film should not have been ignored either. One of these performances belongs to Michael Fassbender who plays the role of the main representation of the British in the film who is sent into Germany to infiltrate and sabotage the screening of a German propaganda film which will be attended by most of the German high command. Another belongs to Diehl who plays a bit of a hitch in that plan.

Fassbender appears in only three scenes total the first being when he is given the details about the mission and quizzed on his knowledge of German cinema by the British high command, that is distinctly British to be sure just like Fassbender's performance. Fassbender purposefully puts on a somewhat extreme accent to be sure, and although he has not proven it to be his forte yet, as evidenced by The Counselor, here he handles it quite well. It is George Sanders esque on purpose and Fassbender even gives it a slightly comic tinge to it which is pretty well done. It technically sightly broad on purpose yet Fassbender never goes too far with  it rather just using it quite well to establish his character well, and it fits the style Quentin Tarantino establishes.

Fassbender, in the briefing scene,and the scene where he meets  the basterds, goes for the classic style of the very proper British soldier and he does it quite well. Again like his accent his mannerisms and method are at least slightly humorous in style which make both of the scene quite entertaining yet he never goes overboard that it would compromise his character for his major scene that comes after the first two. August Diehl on the other hand has only two scenes one being just a very quick introduction where Diehl is allowed to do very little other than to be there. He is simply introduced and one could easily forget him not that it is his fault rather that's simply all major Dieter Hellstrom gets before he appears once again in his scene with Fassbender.

The two meet when Lieutenant Hicox and two of the basterds go to meet their double agent German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) in a tavern. Things seem to be going okay until the hidden Gestapo agent Hellstrom notices's something is wrong with Hicox's accent. Fassbender once again handles the accent particularly well by giving a purposefully off delivery of the accent that does not sound quite right. Fassbender's accent he uses is perfect really as it is off, but in such a completely natural fashion. Diehl makes his impact quickly bringing a substantial menace from the instance we see him and he has that same sort of incisiveness in his performance that Christoph Waltz has in his.

Fassbender and Diehl are excellent together as they both play the game Hicox's and Hellstrom are playing so well. Both are pretending to be calm and casual yet both know there is nothing to be calm about in this situation. Fassbender and Diehl both are terrific in putting on the fake smiles of both men yet subtly suggest what lies underneath. Fassbender's uses eyes brilliantly as Hicox is always carefully watching Hellstrom's every move, and in turn Diehl comes back in that after every playful remark he gives there is this chilling glance he gives suggesting the moment in which Hellstrom is looking for a weakness in their story. Both actors slowly build the intensity of the scene until Hicox's final slip up.

The slightly slip up of Hicox is an amazing moment for Diehl as his reaction is perfect as we see the inquisitor fully reveal himself. Fassbender not to be outdone matches well with Hicox also cutting so quickly through the false pretense of the situation also revealing that Hicox is not to be outsmarted either. Both find themselves as basically the first targets in a fire fight and both actors are incredible in the depiction of their final moments. Fassbender is great and just plain cool in bringing out the British in Hicox once more as he keeps that proper manner right before ordering Hellstrom, and in turn his own death. Diehl is equally excellent as he keeps his almost demonic demeanor but with the slight fear in his own eyes knowing that he will be dying soon.

Both actors give very strong performances that honestly made me wish we had gotten to see more of both Hicox and Hellstrom since Fassbender and Diehl excel so well in their roles. In fact I would say if for some reason Christoph Waltz had not existed Diehl probably would have been a great choice in the larger role of Hans Landa as well. Nevertheless the two just get to be two one scene wonders within the film, and the both make the most of what they have. The two of them individually give memorable work and realize the characters wonderfully even with their short amount of screen time. Together they go even further creating such a fantastic dynamic that builds the suspense of the scene incredibly well, and aid in turning their scene into one of the strongest moments of the film.

Read More

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009

And the Nominees Were Not:

Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank

Michael Fassbender in Inglorious Basterds

August Diehl in Inglorious Basterds

Peter Capaldi in In The Loop

Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles

Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins

Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen

For the Prediction Contest:

Fassbender in Fish Tank

Capaldi

McKay

Tse

Morgan

Read More

Alternate Best Actor 2009: Results

5. Nicolas Cage in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans - Nicolas Cage is at his mad best here giving a wildly entertaining depiction of the corrupt and drug addicted bad Lieutenant.

Best Scene: The Lieutenant watches the soul dance.

4. Sam Rockwell in Moon - Rockwell gives two great performances here and creates a genuine moving depiction of two men who have more in common than they would like.

Best Scene: Old Sam tells New Sam to go instead.

3. Tom Hardy in Bronson - Hardy gives an amazing and incredibly magnetic performance that brings to life his very strange and violent character in a compelling fashion.

Best Scene: Bronson's "performance" in regards to the sanitarium.

2. Sharlto Copley in District 9- Sharlto Copley gives one of the greatest feature debut performances of all time in his complex, poignant and surprisingly believable depiction of the transformation from a bureaucrat to a half alien freedom fighter.

Best Scene: Wickus is used as a guinea pig by his own company.

1. Viggo Mortensen in The Road- This was a great year for leading performances and it is real shame that the academy could not be bothered to drift out of traditional baity fair to recognize any of these performances. Although I loved all five of these performances the one that left the most lasting impact on me was Mortensen's performance. He gives his best performance with his heartbreaking and almost painfully realistic portrayal of a single man trying to save his son in the horrible conditions of a post-apocalyptic world.

Best Scene: The man says goodbye to the boy.

Overall Rank:

1. Viggo Mortensen in The Road
2. Sharlto Copley in District 9
3. Tom Hardy in Bronson
4. Sam Rockwell in Moon
5. Nicolas Cage in Bad Lieutenant
6. Ben Foster in The Messenger
7. Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man
8. Michael Sheen in The Damned United
9. Colin Firth in A Single Man
10. Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
11. Matt Damon in The Informant!
12. Michael Caine in Harry Brown
13. Jake Gyllenhaal in Brothers
14. Kodi Smit-McPhee in The Road
15. Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes
16. Tony Leung Ka-fai in Bodyguards and Assassins
17. Johnny Depp in Public Enemies
18. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 500 Days of Summer
19. Russell Crowe in State of Play
20. Ed Asner in UP
21. Zachary Quinto in Star Trek
22. Jesse Eisenberg in Zombieland
23. Chris Pine in Star Trek
24. Chiwetel Ejiofor in 2012
25. Adam Sandler in Funny People
26. Daniel Radcliffe in The Half-Blood Prince
27. Hugh Jackman in X-Men Origins Wolverine
28. Morgan Freeman in Invictus
29. James McAvoy in The Last Station
30. Tobey Maguire in Brothers
31. Colin Hanks in The Great Buck Howard
32. Jim Carrey in A Christmas Carol
33. Mark Wahlberg in The Lovely Bones
34. Seth Rogen in Funny People
35. George Clooney in Up in The Air 
36. John Cusack in 2012 
37. Zac Efron in Me and Orson Welles
38. Sam Worthington in Avatar

Next Year: 2009 Supporting

Read More

Alternate Best Actor 2009: Sam Rockwell in Moon

Sam Rockwell did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Sam Bell in Moon.

Moon is an intriguing film about a seemingly lone man who takes care of power station on the moon.

Sam Rockwell is an actor with a style that is all his own and I would say that makes him a rather perfect choice for a one man show. Moon is mostly a one man show, even though there are some other actors who make very brief appearances, but on the station itself it is only Rockwell and an Artificial Intelligence voiced by Kevin Spacey. Rockwell though is an actor easy to watch for the entire duration of the film as you are at least guaranteed a Rockwellian moment or two which tends to be entertaining. Early on though Rockwell seems to be playing a fairly restrained part for him as he just seems to be playing a lonely man who must do a thankless job alone while wishing he was back on earth with his wife and away from the minutiae that is required for the various tasks he needs to do.

Rockwell is very effective in these subdued moments realizing honestly the boredom of the task that Sam has. Although he is doing work on the moon Rockwell shows every task that Sam handles as just a thing he has to do and there is no wonderment to be had despite where he is. Rockwell establishes Sam incredibly well in these early scenes as he presents the somber mood in the man with just the right hint of optimism whenever he thinks about seeing his wife and child again after his contract ends which he believes will be soon. Rockwell also does well to present a certain physical deterioration in his tired and altogether burnt out demeanor. Rockwell handles this particularly well because at first it seem that it probably is just from being on the Moon for too long, but with that he also sets up properly what really is going wrong with Sam which is revealed later.

A twist comes in the form of another Sam who discovers the other Sam who had an accident with one of the Moon Rovers. Neither of the Sam's are hallucinating but rather they find out that they are both clones who are simply being used by the company as disposable workers for the company. This new Sam is quite a bit different from the old Sam and Rockwell does a fantastic job in creating two separation between the two. What Rockwell shows with the new Sam is probably how the old Sam was when he believed that he had just started the job. Rockwell plays this part with a clear stronger enthusiasm through the character as the new Sam technically has just come to life. This Sam obviously is far more ready for the needs of the job than the old job, and we see him as a man prepared to handle his assignment opposed to the old Sam who just wants to retire.

Rockwell goes even further with distinguishing though the two than just simply from their differing amount of time in existence. Rockwell also effectively does create two separate feeling personalities in the two well still making the two seem the same man in the core. One of the major factors for this is suggested by Rockwell frankly to their knowledge of being a clone. The new Sam has learned this basically from his creation whereas the Old Sam has had to live for almost three years thinking he was a normal man all along. This leads them onto two different paths as men as well as with dealing their situation. With the old Sam Rockwell presents a more reflective man who must face this revelation for all its pain. Rockwell is very poignant in showing the depression that grows in this Sam who frankly has lived too long thinking he was a man to be told that he wasn't.

The new Sam on the other hand is shown by Rockwell to take a far more aggressive approach in regards to dealing with being a clone. This Sam wants to action quickly and intends to try hard to find out where exactly it is that the new clones are made from. At the same time this Sam is far quicker to anger especially when the old Sam in the way of finding where the secret room may be. Rockwell plays the aggression perfectly as he does not play at if the new Sam is need in some anger management. No instead Rockwell suggests it through the reaction of the cloning problem for the new Sam. The new Sam seems less openly troubled by it, but actually Rockwell alludes to all this anger stemming from his own reaction to the cloning even though unlike the other Sam he is able to take his response and try to pull it into doing something constructive.

One of the best aspects of Rockwell's performance is actually his chemistry with himself and even though there is only one Sam Rockwell it feels like a two man show. The two Sam's are always distinct characters in Rockwell's hands in through doing that he honestly creates an very interesting dynamic between the two. It is particularly complex one as a man technically is interacting with himself and Rockwell does technically have some of the same qualities between the two as he should but where they differ makes their interactions all the more interesting to watch. Rockwell is effortlessly in making it seem like two clones believably dealing with each other in their conflicts which does not play as just Rockwell yelling at himself. It's much more interesting with Rockwell attuning the intensity of each to their different state of minds from their time as clones.

What is amazing is that Rockwell, despite the strangeness of the whole prospect, honestly creates a very natural bond that slowly builds as the two try to find out a way to try and beat the horrible system that they have been placed in my their deceitful company. Rockwell is incredibly moving by realizing the friendship between the two so delicately as the old Sam wastes away, and the new Sam slowly begins to care more and more for his old clone. This whole concept could have just seemed silly or played purely for laughs but that's not the case as Rockwell gives such a surprising about of heart to his performances. Rockwell actually does get some humor out of the concept to be sure, but he does it extremely well by letting it come out in such a genuine way from the reactions the two clones have throughout their time together.

Everything about Moon might not have worked if it was not for the devoted performance by Sam Rockwell who manages to give two great performances in this film as both the Old and the New Sam. Although it can easily be said that it is seems like a pretty flamboyant idea for an actor to play two roles particularly if it is Sam Rockwell in that role and had Rockwell been that way in this film certainly probably would have been entertaining to be sure. Rockwell dials it back here considerably and it pays off in spades giving not one but two poignant portraits of a man who discovers that his whole existence is a lie. I know I've already given four fives so far in my reviews of 2009,  and that's because I loved all of those performances. All I can say is I loved this performance too.

Read More