u/SeymourKrelborn1111

Steven: Can I get a knife and fork?

Medieval Waitress: There were no utensils in medieval times, hence there are no utensils at Medieval Times. Would you like a refill on that Pepsi?

Steven: There were no utensils but there was Pepsi?

Medieval Waitress: Dude, I got a lotta tables.

This exchange always gets me because it’s so perfectly delivered by Garofalo. The way she is barely holding up the facade to start, followed by how she completely gives up the act after one follow-up question.

They don’t need to be the funniest… if you’d like to go with the most iconic or most profound, let’s hear ‘em! What are your favourite back-and-forth exchanges in movies?

https://youtu.be/DujwLnrxlTY?si=peMdJOf2PTqHg28b

Lets’s help all the casual movie fans out there put a name to a face by naming all of those actors and actresses who always show up but we maybe take their greatness for granted.

It doesn’t matter if you need earnest, menacing, intelligent, dim, funny, serious… John Carroll Lynch and Ann Dowd have got you covered.

They can stand out in a room full of heavy hitters, be the best part of a bad movie, disappear seamlessly into the background or just whatever task is asked of them. They could also carry a movie but, alas, that’s a different conversation.

They don’t need layers of makeup or huge, scenery-chewing monologues, they just find the authenticity in their part and play it that way. You immediately buy into whatever reality they’ve been tasked with presenting.

Who are your choices for cinema’s greatest unsung heroes?

I am on board any train that wants to give Jamie Lee Curtis, Heather Langenkamp and Neve Campbell (and plenty others I’m neglecting to mention) their due. They’re Scream Queen Legends who have been tortured by monsters for decades and always bring their A-games despite the varying quality of some of the films. But I’m not focused on them…

It’s easy to overlook how much physical and emotional effort goes into pulling off these performances, whether or not the film deserves them.

For nearly the entire 90+ minute runtime of Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, Alison Lohman gets pelted with various types of blood, mud, demon vomit, insects and every other fluid he can throw at her. She does this while running the entire emotional gamut of fear, panic, guilt, shame, despair, eventually resulting in total psychological collapse. All while physically fighting off the curse of an Old Gypsy Woman… it’s a performance that leaves you breathless, wondering how she had enough in her tank to get to set day after day.

Who are these Scream Queens for you, who may not have been doing it for decades, but gave performances, whether they be one-offs or in franchises that didn’t quite reach legendary status, that left you genuinely feeling their physical and emotional exhaustion by the end of it?

Jeff Goldblum’s Seth Brundle from David Cronenberg’s 1986 “remake” of The Fly introduces himself immediately as someone so smart, he has a device that is going to change the world… and then proceeds to suffer from some of the most baffling decision-making errors in movie history.

Let me be clear, I adore the film, and the screenwriters put enough effort into the story and Seth’s character to, at least, make us understand and empathize with some of his… let’s say, flawed problem solving skills. It has practical effects that hold up incredibly well and still ranks as a benchmark in body horror.

I just can’t help but chuckle at all the red flags that go unnoticed, the simple security features (mosquito net?) that could have been installed, the safety protocols that are overlooked. It almost makes Seth’s downfall a bit of poetic justice. I mean, this is just good advice for anyone thinking of making a major, life-changing decision while under the influence of alcohol: For God’s Sake, man, Sleep on it!!!

Is there any character who dug their own grave as deeply and efficiently as poor Seth Brundle? I look forward to your picks.

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When given the right material, Jesse Eisenberg has proven himself a capable and effective actor (see his performance as robotic douchebag Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network) but in my humble, personal, subjective opinion his attempt at Lex Luthor felt like the acting equivalent of a young swimmer swimming in the deep end without a life jacket… even in spite of the filmmakers efforts to seemingly change the character to cater to his skillset.

For good reason, I usually see topics focus on actors and actresses stepping outside of their comfort zones with great success as it does take some courage to do so. Often times, they’ll have to take a pay cut, work outside of the studios or, as in Eisenberg’s case, risk their reputation as a serious actor… so I sincerely applaud them for that, win or lose… I just thought it might be a bit of a laugh to ask:

What are the Greatest Swings and Misses in Movie History?

Michael Keaton’s performance as Ray Kroc in The Founder ranks as one of my personal favourites of his because it proves what a carefully nuanced actor he is. I don’t know much about the real Ray Kroc beyond what this film taught me, but I couldn’t help but think that Keaton made Kroc a more likeable character than the real man ever was.

Personally, the toughest acting challenge doesn’t necessarily mean the greatest body or vocal transformation (although if that is your preference of choice for this prompt, please do share), sometimes it means finding humanity and grace in a character that may not deserve any.

The filmmakers put every obstacle in the way of Keaton achieving greatness with this performance. They don’t take many narrative liberties with the true story to help make him more empathetic. They cast John Carroll Lynch and Nick Offerman, two of the most earnest and likeable character actors, as his nemesis’, making him near impossible to root for. Yet, somehow Keaton pulls it off and it’s hard for me to imagine any other actor pulling this off without making him downright unlikable.

What are your choices for actors and actresses who nailed their toughest acting assignments, however you may define that?

I could go on and on about why I find Ellen Greene irreplaceable as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. I’m not saying that just because she originated the role of Audrey in the play which the film is adapted from. It’s the sheer vocal talent and genuine humanity she brings to the role.

Admittedly it’s a stage actress acting in an obviously campy film, so it may be a little showier and a lot less nuanced than a lot of acclaimed performances. Hell, it’s borderline cartoonish, if I’m being honest. But if you think I’m wrong, just watch her sing Suddenly Seymour. She goes from this high-pitched, flighty tone to absolutely belting it out by the end of the song, displaying real emotional growth with just her vocal range. I just don’t want to imagine anyone else in this role.

As an afterthought, Rick Moranis and Levi Stubbs also feel pretty god damn irreplaceable, too.

What are your 1 of 1 absolutely irreplaceable performances?

As someone who read the novel and a lot of Thomas Pynchon’s other work, I kind of knew going into Paul Thomas Anderson’s film adaptation of Inherent Vice that following the mystery may be fruitless. It’s not that it isn’t fun to unpack it through the permanently stoned brain of Doc Sportello’s (Joaquin Phoenix) half-remembered clues and misunderstood details. You don’t get to understand anything until Doc understands it and anyone who knows Doc knows that some threads may not reach their conclusions.

Still, the whole movie just kind of washed over me. It’s filled with so many individually great scenes and performances and is so beautifully shot and scored that the ridiculousness of trying to keep up with all of the twists and turns becomes part of its charm.

What are your movies that work in spite of a lack of a functional or traditional plot?

The amount of joy I get from hearing John Malkovich saying “Pyay That Myan His Myoney” as Teddy KGB in Rounders has me thinking of all the hilarious movie accents over time.

It can be a purposefully cartoonish, over-the-top actor having fun like Malkovich… an earnest, failed attempt at authenticity like Leo and Cameron Diaz’s wavering Irish accents in Gangs of New York… Don Cheadle’s debatably awful cockney accent in the Ocean’s movies (is it the character doing the awful accent?)… or just hilarious “I Give Up” halfway through the film á la Kevin Costner in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves?

Give me your best and worst ridiculous movie accents.

In another thread, I saw someone receive a lot of support in saying that they were still sore about Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) losing the Oscar for best supporting actor to a Martin Landau “legacy win.”

I understand that Reddit, and especially the movie subs, can devolve into circle jerks of “popular opinions” but this one really took me back as I have never defined Landau’s Oscar as a legacy win and I truly think it was one of the strongest, most memorable supporting performances of the 90s.

Landau’s performance as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood may not be as iconic and quotable as Jackson’s extremely influential portrayal of Jules but it was still a full physical/vocal transformation, displayed a ton of emotional vulnerability and had an engrossing and captivating character arc.

This is not a knock against Jackson, I am just genuinely curious if this win has been incorrectly labeled a Legacy Win or was I just trapped in a reddit circle jerk? Or am I actually alone in thinking Landau gave the best supporting performance of 1994?

Let me be clear to start: I consider The Banshees of Inisherin among my favourite movies made in the last 2 decades and I hold Brendan Gleeson in very high esteem. The fact that he makes this character as enthralling as he is and affords him even a shred of empathy is a testament to his unmatched skill as one of my personal favourite character actors.

I also appreciate that the film is deep and layered and some people might find Colin Farrell’s Padraic or especially Barry Keoghan’s Dominic equally, or more, insufferable or will be keen to disagree with my reading of Colm entirely… If that’s the case, I’m happy to hear why.

As for Colm Doherty… what a pompous, pretentious blowhard. I’m not sour that he chose to end a friendship without warning for little to no reason. That’s his right. What gets me is how he frames it as some sort of noble sacrifice for his “art.” You don’t even need to pay that close attention to see that his art stinks. It’s amatuerish and it almost feels like he’s torturing Padraic because he knows that deep down he’s trying to manifest some sort of meaning or significance to his art through emotional warfare and self mutilation.

Who are your takes for the most insufferable characters in movie history? I don’t necessarily mean insufferable like Joe Pesci in the Lethal Weapon movies. Cool if that’s your answer… but I’m more interested in those characters who seem to be rotten to their core, not just a typical black and white movie villain.

Inside Llewyn Davis is among many films I consider comforting that doesn’t really offer any comfort. For its entire duration we watch a musician struggle through life, ignoring grief, hurting people he loves and people who love him, getting in his own way of achieving success…

The comfort lies in watching someone very human making very human mistakes and living a somewhat ordinary existence (of course it helps that the film is expertly crafted on every artistic and technical level) Dreams aren’t achieved. Failure isn’t always noble. Resolutions often aren’t happy.

From The Banshees of Inisherin, Little Shop of Horrors (1986 - Director’s Cut), Do The Right Thing, Babylon… I am enthralled with watching these types of movies that may not offer a lot in the way of hope or answers, but still give me comfort. As someone who has anxiety, horror films even give me a lot of comfort because all of that tension and release can feel cathartic, like I’m letting that anxiety out in a (somewhat) controlled environment.

What are your favourite comfort films that exist outside the box of what defines a comfort film?

I know this is going to sound like I’m giving too much credit to an inane subplot in a ridiculous comedy but I can’t help but genuinely appreciate the storytelling technique in the “KFBR392” subplot in MacGruber.

It isn’t simply that I find it hilarious (I do), it’s how it functions as a character study all the way through to the payoff. MacGruber is petty, obsessive, self-centred, narcissistic and incapable of prioritizing what actually matters. It’s not that the joke keeps getting funnier each time it reappears (it does), it’s how much it tells us about Mac without unnecessary exposition.

What are your favourite subplots, funny or not, with or without payoffs?

Julia from The Worst Person in the World for me, personally, is one of the most relatable, human protagonists in movie history. She struggles to commit to careers, relationships and even identities. She’s constantly chasing the excitement of new possibilities, hurting people along the way. Not out of meanness or resentment but because she keeps convincing herself that the next decision will finally fulfill her. She’s impulsive, can be self-centred and emotionally immature yet remains empathetic and relatable all the way through.

Flawed protagonists were always more compelling to watch in my personal experience so I would appreciate it if y’all dropped your favourites here.

Who are your favourite deeply flawed protagonists?

For me, it was Being John Malkovich. Before I saw it, I mostly stuck to more conventional, mainstream movies. It was one of the first movies that made me realize how much I enjoyed stories that were strange, unpredictable and willing to take creative risks. After that, I found myself actively seeking out more offbeat, unconventional films and going back in history to watch all the gems I had written off as “too weird” or “not my taste.”

What’s a movie that changed the kinds of movies you look for?

Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums may not have been the *worst* bad parent in movie history, but he ranks as my favourite because he possessed the emotional intelligence to connect with his family but used it, instead, to hurt, manipulate and infiltrate them. His redemption arc felt grounded to me because it wasn’t so much that he grew as a person as much as his family decided to tolerate him, flaws and all.

Flawed characters were always the most human and, therefore, fascinating characters for me so it got me thinking of the litany of bad parents in movie history.

Who are your favourites? They don’t even need to have redeeming qualities. Maybe they’re not even necessarily “bad” parents as much as they’re in over their head or unprepared.

It doesn’t have to be a single word. It can be used creatively in a sentence or just any ol’ use of profanity that tickled you.

A lot of the popular mentions for greatest movie villains of all time impose their will on the world. Audrey II’s strength comes from Seymour’s moral weakness.

When we first meet her (and for some time after) she is as easily defeated as pulling a weed from a garden. It is only because Seymour recognizes it as a vulnerable and interesting creature that needs to be nurtured that it’s able to survive in the first place. Every reward that Audrey II offers after that (success, money, attention, love, recognition) makes the next decision harder. By the time Audrey II has become physically unstoppable, Seymour has already lost the moral battle. She grows in direct proportion to Seymour’s weakness. She’s terrifying because she turns our own weaknesses into her superpowers.

Other than the usual Chigurh, Lecter, Landa, Vader, Joker villains who wreak havoc and unleash evil to varying degrees, who are your favourite villains whose power relies on the weakness of their heroes? (Not saying the given examples don’t)

Nick Offerman was so good as Ron Swanson on Parks and Rec and the character blended so closely with Nick’s real life persona/public image, I had kind of expected him to play some variation of that character for his entire career and I was honestly okay with that.

While watching Margo’s Got Money Troubles, it got me thinking of how much more range and emotional depth some of his post-Parks and Rec characters have had (Devs, Pam and Tommy, The Last of Us) and how I would love to see him get a chance to fully carry a major dramatic lead role.

What actors or actresses completely escaped the typecasting you thought they were stuck in?

John Goodman as Walter Sobchack in The Big Lebowski (bonus points for Steve Buscemi as Donny)