The Halftime Report for 2019 in Films continues with the boys and girls that have graced our screens (big or small), and left a lasting impression. We saw the Scenes yesterday, now here’s the Performances.
Once again selected by an enthusiastic bunch of film nerds. Yes, I too am scattered about these next four pages. So please go have a look over the 30 performances we thought deserved a mention. I’m sure you can all think of 30 different ones, well feel free to let us know in the comments. In the meantime – Action!
Kaitlyn Dever – Booksmart
Perhaps known for an unforgettable turn in Short Term 12, actress Kaitlyn Dever appears to have found a role match made in heaven with Beanie Feldstein. The two play Amy and Molly, respectively, girls with brains, about to graduate – and let their hair down. Dever seems perfect as such a booksmart soul, from her opening jig, to that impromptu karaoke. Amy fights her insecurities and inhibitions with reason and a kind of emotional safety buffer. The blatant anxieties on the actress’ face are as affecting as her smart wit.
Less cynical than her friend, for sure, and far more pensive. Amy is eager to explore her sexuality, pining for the skater girl. And those nervy interactions with her build a gradual courage. Though, the pool scene hits a heart-bumping wake-up call, followed by the revelatory argument with Molly. Soaking wet, emotionally exposed, utterly vulnerable, Dever makes us want to immediately wrap Amy in cotton wool. — Robin @Filmotomy
Tom Burke – The Souvenir
I’m still not sure how much I liked The Souvenir, but I undoubtedly loved Tom Burke’s performance as Julie’s (Honor Swinton Byrne) boyfriend, Anthony. When Julie first meets his character, Burke perfectly plays him as he portrays his interest in the young filmmaker and his confidence with revealing mannerisms and facial expressions. Which brilliantly tells the audience who Anthony is. These aspects of his performance are present throughout the whole film, as Burke always uses them to show Anthony’s development as a character.
Even when he isn’t describing how he feels, it is always clear because of how he speaks and how his facial expressions tell it. Whether it be while he’s falling deeper in love or when he sees Julie suffering. But all of this is best seen towards the end of the film, as his harmful and selfish decisions affect him and those around him. We see the sadness caused by it, that he tries to keep from his girlfriend, weakening him more – his once confident attitude now gone in favor of an uncertain one. In short, Tom Burke gives what is easily one of the best performances of the year so far, with his take on a man crippled by guilt and self-indulgence. — Aidan @dual_screen
Josh Brolin – Avengers: Endgame
“I am inevitable.” These three words sum up the layers of Josh Brolin’s second (and final?) feature-length turn as Thanos, the Mad Titan who wiped out half of all living things across the universe. And now wants to make sure the Avengers can’t undo the damage, courtesy of time travel shenanigans. The first time we hear that phrase, it’s uttered by a stoic, world-weary warrior who is ready to die, having accomplished his mission at great personal cost.
The second time, it’s a younger, time-displaced, pre-Infinity War Thanos who says it. He leaves all philosophical musings behind, driven by a selfish, petty desire to annihilate our planet. After painting a somewhat sympathetic picture in 2018, Brolin gleefully annihilates it this time around, making Thanos overtly, deliciously evil and adding further excitement to the moment everyone – as in, everyone – shows up to make him wish he’d stayed in his chair. — Max @IMDBorg
Brie Larson – Captain Marvel
Whereas most superhero performances are bigger and showier, Brie Larson’s performance in the titular role of Captain Marvel is refreshingly naturalistic and subdued. Having to portray Carol’s inner conflicts and struggles of wanting to flourish and emote despite being held back by the Kree, akin to an emotionally confused child trying to feel, is incredibly more complicated than your average superhero role. And Larson does so perfectly, while also bringing natural charisma and a dry sense of humor to Carol Danvers.
It’s a performance very much in the same league as her performances in Room (for which Larson won an incredibly deserved Oscar) and Short Term 12, and as great of a performance as we’ll ever see in a Marvel production. I say with zero hesitation that this is the by far the best MCU casting since Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. — Simon @MOVIEFAN99_
Will Smith – Aladdin
Like many fans of the House of Mouse’s classic animated 1992 feature, I thought Will Smith playing a character the late great Robin Williams voiced spectacularly the first time around would be a colossal misfire. And another role that be on par with the actor’s turns in turds like After Earth and Suicide Squad. Imagine my surprise that the Guy Richie-led remake is not only the most vibrant and enjoyable of the studio’s attempt to remake every last animated classic into live-action form, but Will Smith’s portrayal of the wise-cracking mystical figure is his best performance in years.
The actor wisely avoids mimicking what Williams brought to the part and instead brings his natural charm, charisma and star persona that made him a household name. Watching him perform “Friend like Me” feels like he’s back in his “Fresh Prince of Bell Air” days, where he’s playing it fast and loose with the material, and it’s a blast to watch that Will Smith return here in this musical fantasy. — Jonathan @MisterBrown_23
Greider Meza – Birds of Passage
Virtually unknown young actor Greider Meza (his only IMDb credit is this film), portrays a slowly corrupted son and nephew in the Columbian masterpiece Pájaros de verano (Birds of Passage) from directors Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra. The latter of whom directed the universally acclaimed Embrace of the Serpent (2015). This is a striking example of the fact that Hollywood’s overused roster of acting talent all too often overshadows the vast diversity of incredibly gifted thespians around the world. Meza’s Leonídas, whose mother Úrsula (Carmiña Martínez), an indigenous Columbian woman who reluctantly allows her daughter Zaida to marry Rapayet, who, along with the matriarch’s cooperation, slowly destroys her family through the perils of trafficking marijuana.
Leonídas’s sense of morality and respect of tradition instilled by his formerly spiritual mother is eroded to the point of perpetual anger, and the insanity of want of total control. One terrifying scene that exemplifies Leonidas’s descent into pure evil is when he bribes a greedy man with a vast sum of money… only if he consumes dog excrement in full view of several people. The man, voluntarily divested of his self-worth, pathetically runs away with the cash, as Leonidas is sickeningly satisfied. — Jasmine May
Samuel L. Jackson – Glass
We are introduced to Elijah Price as a near comatose patient in a mental asylum. He doesn’t say a word, and if not for the occasional facial tick, you would think Price was braindead. Jackson perfectly times his ticks and utilizes his haunting stare to make Price interesting without saying a word. But it’s when Jackson begins speaking and becomes Mister Glass, over an hour into the film, where his performance really takes off.
Though Jackson is known as one of our more boisterous actors, his performance here is one of methodical restraint, carrying the last half of the film as he plays an evil genius executing his plan to perfection. Watching Mister Glass work is like watching poetry in motion and Jackson does it with confidence and ease. This is one of the best performances of Jackson’s career, that elevates Glass to one of the year’s best films. — Kevin @kevflix
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