Retiring Gollum.

I've spent the past month watching a lot of Kevin Spacey's movies. His three best performances are:

1. Verbal Kint
The Usual Suspects
Not only does he make Verbal feel like the most vulnerable, relatable character of the bunch (a necessity since you're watching the story from his point of view) but he also makes him seem like a competent criminal. That's a tough balancing act.    

2. Lester Burnham
American Beauty
I firmly believe that no one can play "awkward" as well as Kevin Spacey (by awkward I mean when he incoherently tries to get his point across) and it shows in this one. I also think that this is the role that best uses his ability to deliver deadpan lines.

3. Jim Williams
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Jim is one of those unpredictable characters that you never really get to know. The ones that keep surprising and confusing you with their constant double entendres. It's like everything he says to John Cusack is flirtatious and at the same time.. not.

An update on Leo

I did list my top three Leonardo DiCaprio performances a few days ago, because he is one of my favorite actors. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen Shutter Island yet..  

1. Arnie Grape 
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Still mind-blowingly good! It doesn't even feel like he's acting and that's why it's still baffling that he didn't win the Oscar for it. It's by far one of my favorite portrayals of all time (from anybody).

2. Teddy Daniels
Shutter Island
It's hard to say much about this, without spoiling anything, but I really love how he manages to balance between all the emotions while solving the crime. He's so fragile and yet composed.

3. Hank 
Marvin's Room
I feel that this is very underrated. Not only because the rest of the cast is fantastic but because his acting never feels forced or rehearsed or unreal. He's just in the moment!

While Gollum's occupied..

I thought I'd list my top three performances from an actor who's style I know and really like: Leonardo DiCaprio (while I'm busy getting to know Kevin Spacey's style better).

1. Arnie Grape 
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
Still mind-blowingly good! It doesn't even feel like he's acting and that's why it's still baffling that he didn't win the Oscar for it. It's by far one of my favorite portrayals of all time (from anybody).
 
2. Hank 
Marvin's Room
I feel that this is very underrated. Not only because the rest of the cast is fantastic but because his acting never feels forced or rehearsed or unreal. He's just in the moment!

3. Danny Archer 
Blood Diamond
I don't know if I like this portrayal so much because I love the movie or because he is so convincing? I guess it's a little bit of both.  

Being Gollum.

Upon realizing that I've only watched seven of Kevin Spacey's movies, I knew I had to change that:

I want to re-watch:
The Life of David Gale
The Negotiator

I want to watch these for the first time:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
L.A. Confidential
The Shipping News

and then I might have some new movies of his, to add to my favorites, besides:

The Usual Suspects
Pay It Forward
American Beauty

Apparently, The Usual Suspects has turned me into Gollum! I fear for all the people in my building (particularly the dachshund upstairs that keeps giving off a single high-pitched bark every two minutes)..

Every road leads back to Gerard Butler

1. Reign of fire: Gerard Butler and Christian Bale.
2. Exodus: Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton.
3. Warrior: Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy.
4. This means war: Tom Hardy and Chris Pine.
5. The princess diaries 2: Chris Pine and Anne Hathaway.
6. Valentine's day: Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel.
7. Playing for keeps: Jessica Biel and Gerard Butler.

Now, if I had watched these without watching anything in between - surely that would have been some kind of record?