That is awesome. Very, very impressive- I would love to get my hands on that.
And yes, this should be a no-brainer.
I laugh because I remember Val Kilmer said during a press junket in 1995 that doing a Batman film doesn’t exactly advance your career. Well, guess what Val? When the source material is treated with respect, it does in fact adavance your career. Just ask Nolan, Pfister, Bale, and Eckhart.
Oh come now. The “Dark Knight” love-fest must be tempered with some reality.
Great film, very enjoyable. Ledger gives a knock out performance. Thoroughly deserving of a nomination.
But Best Ensemble for that film? With those characters? Get serious.
Bale literally whispered then growled his way through his performance. Maggie Gyllenhal was absurd. Just absurd.
Gary Oldman is always great. But his and Eckhart and Caine and Freeman’s roles were very comic book-y. And otherwise two-dimensional.
What’s next? A nomination for Eric Roberts in one of the most misplaced, miscast, cornball performances in an otherwise great film ever?
Was Eric Roberts even in the same movie as the rest of the characters?
Come on, guys. Keep it in perspective.
Jason
Keeping things in perspective…TDK could actually win. The cast is a powerhouse. Of the last ten SAG Ensemble winners, how many of them have had a cast that strong?
agreed with Jason… this is a cast of respected actors doing remarkable work… I can’t see why this shouldn’t get a nomination for ensemble.
tony rock
Oldman, Caine, and Freeman were comic-booky? I think you were in a different movie, Gak!
Billyboy
Well, judging from previous years I think it will get nominated (they nominated Hairspray, after all).
But as much as I like that movie, there are others that have much better performances as an ensemble ; Milk, Synecdoche (have you seen the cast of this?), Vicky Cristina Barcelona…
Bale was average at best and probably worse than average if people are being honest. Unintelligible dialogue delivery does not a fine performance make.
Gyllenhaal was just rubbish as well.
Caine is a terrific actor but doesn’t really have an awful lot to do in these films.
Freeman is a pretty terrific actor also and has even less to do.
So that leaves a trio of decent performances (which admittedly range from excellent to exceptional) in Oldman, Eckhart and Ledger.
I would not nominate this film for best ensemble given all that.
Brian Kinsley
I think Caine really serves as the heart in The Dark Knight, and he accomplishes quite a lot with his few scenes.
I thought Ledger was, of course, outstanding, and Oldman every bit as good as he was in Begins. Eckhart fared much better before the transformation, and I think Nolan really let him (and the movie) down with his guidance with Two-Face. That said, he was certainly giving it his utmost.
I still wonder if Mama Mia might not get an ensemble nod.
I expect it to be nominated, sure. But will they give the prize to something a bit more typical? I think so.
Billyboy, the SAG’s Best Ensemble category is, a lot of the time, nothing to do with actual “ensemble acting” but how many good actors there are and such.
Matt
Any honor that Gary Oldman gets is long overdue… he is quite possibly the least-tapped talent in Hollywood.
The only other lock I can see for SAG ensemble is Milk
GAK!
I suspect “W.” will be a strong force in the Ensemble category. It should be, at least.
From Brolin to Banks, Cromwell to Dreyfuss, Wright to Burstyn. Fabulous actors, all. Playing nuanced, not two-dimensional characters. With the exception of Thandie Newton, this was a fantastic ensemble performance.
As for “TDK”, again, I really liked the film. It will certainly stand the test of time, and Ledger deserves a nomination.
But to rave about the performances of Caine as a somewhat campy comic book butler and Morgan Freeman pretty much doing “Morgan Freeman” and Maggie Gyllenhal reminding everyone why she’s a fantastic indie actress but not remotely credible in larger, studio fare, “The Dark Knight” was in the same league as a number of other films in terms of overall ensemble performance.
A great film with a number of top shelf actors does not necessarily mean it was an overall strong ensemble performance. And a lot of that has to do with the depth and complexity (or lack thereof) of the characters. Caine and Freeman, literally had nothing to do of substance. Gyllenhal was the obligatory maiden in distress that we’ve seen 1,000 times. And several of the villains, most notably Eric Roberts were so horrendous that they were literally in a different film.
Keep it in perspective, folks.
Scott Ward
I have to say I pretty much agree with GAK, although I will say you take it a bit too far for me personally. Especially for Gyllenhal’s character; I wouldn’t say she was good, but I don’t think she was bad either. While I don’t think it was good acting on her part, I think it was great casting. I think her just being her, that kind of cute (yes as opposed to a lot of guys I think she is rather cute) and girl-next door feel to her role, a persona that really offset the demeanor of the rich Bruce Wayne and the powerful and hungry Harvey Dent. To me, a sexier, say more sleek woman would have actually given only a testosterone chasing damsel in distress, if that makes sense because I can’t really think of another way to word it.
Scott Ward
I realize that sentence in the middle is very much grammatically incorrect reading over it, but I hope it makes sense.
Also, I tried to imply that a better looking actress would have basically only acted to attract the two men physically. I made it sound like she would chase the men.
Sorry about that, it’s getting pretty late on the east coast.
You say “keep it in perspective” as if smart people with a clear head can’t somehow be in love with the film. Give me a break. Perspective is one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films. Perspective is over $500 million at the box office. Perspective is the people have spoken and the truth is it’s a precious minority that wants to “keep it in perspective” when they’re sorely lacking it.
My two cents.
Also, Roberts was awesome. Nothing wrong with the role or the portrayal. A nice fit in Nolan’s hyper-reality and really, you’re not backing up any of your criticisms. Saying it over and over again doesn’t make it so.
Michael Rogers
I know its highly unlikely but I would like to see Oldman nominated for the supporting actor oscar, its shameful he has never been nominated before and I feel this is a perfect situation for that to be rectified. It was a pretty good performance, the most grounded of the film and I thought it held it together. Ledger should win but I would be glad to see Oldman get the nod come January.
Yes, this should be nominated. You have to give credit to the rest of the cast–and not just to one or two people–when you make a film this good.
Kris, I wholeheartedly agree with you, and your response was well said.
GAK!
Tapley,
I luv ya. I love your site. And I love virtually everything you have to say on your site.
But to argue that the enormous box office performance of a film somehow equates with having a fantastic ensemble performance, is silly. One does not necessarily equal the other.
And by perspective, I don’t mean to denigrate the overall quality of the film – which I’ve said repeatedly I liked very much. By perspective, I mean that simply because the film overall was very strong and certainly one of the best of the year, does not necessarily mean that it should be a frontrunner for every top shelf category.
A film can be great without having a superlative ensemble performance. In the case of TDK, I attribute that more to the script and the characters as they were written rather than the acting itself.
Morgan Freeman as “Lucious Fox” was not a memorable character. Gyllenhal as “Rachel Dawes” was not a memorable character who played her role as anything other than the “object of affection”. Michael Caine as “Alfred” played that role pretty much as Michael Gough did in the earlier Batmans. They are all very solid actors, but their roles were what they were. Solidly acted but unexceptional.
And as for Eric Roberts, well, I’m speechless on that point. I kind of thought you were being sarcastic, but apparently not.
Eric Roberts’ performance as a stereotypical Italian gangster “Salvatore Maroni”, while not actually portraying any remotely nuanced aspects of that character, was horrendous. It wasn’t even close. It was a white guy doing a cornball impression of an Italian mobster.
The worst, least talented supporting actor in “The Sopranos” would have been a better choice and delivered a more credible performance than Eric Roberts as an Italian mobster.
It was cringeworthy. I honestly don’t know what movie you were watching if you felt “Roberts was awesome.”
Very well said Kris, I just wonder what perspective means for some people, probably something like “I can’t stand the praise for a film the masses loved” ?
Gyllenhaal is probably the weakest link of such great ensemble but to call her acting absurd is just ridiculous and …. absurd. And lol at Caine playing the role as Gough. Guess I saw a different movie.
Some people just take aim at the successful. It’s a story old as time. And anyone who thinks Michael Caine is doing Michael Gough was watching something else…no idea how to respond to something like that.
Comments
24 responses to “A nomination I expect”
That is awesome. Very, very impressive- I would love to get my hands on that.
And yes, this should be a no-brainer.
I laugh because I remember Val Kilmer said during a press junket in 1995 that doing a Batman film doesn’t exactly advance your career. Well, guess what Val? When the source material is treated with respect, it does in fact adavance your career. Just ask Nolan, Pfister, Bale, and Eckhart.
i want that poster
Great poster! Great campaign!
A nomination you expect? A nomination definitely!
Yeah it might even win that one.
Oh come now. The “Dark Knight” love-fest must be tempered with some reality.
Great film, very enjoyable. Ledger gives a knock out performance. Thoroughly deserving of a nomination.
But Best Ensemble for that film? With those characters? Get serious.
Bale literally whispered then growled his way through his performance. Maggie Gyllenhal was absurd. Just absurd.
Gary Oldman is always great. But his and Eckhart and Caine and Freeman’s roles were very comic book-y. And otherwise two-dimensional.
What’s next? A nomination for Eric Roberts in one of the most misplaced, miscast, cornball performances in an otherwise great film ever?
Was Eric Roberts even in the same movie as the rest of the characters?
Come on, guys. Keep it in perspective.
Keeping things in perspective…TDK could actually win. The cast is a powerhouse. Of the last ten SAG Ensemble winners, how many of them have had a cast that strong?
agreed with Jason… this is a cast of respected actors doing remarkable work… I can’t see why this shouldn’t get a nomination for ensemble.
Oldman, Caine, and Freeman were comic-booky? I think you were in a different movie, Gak!
Well, judging from previous years I think it will get nominated (they nominated Hairspray, after all).
But as much as I like that movie, there are others that have much better performances as an ensemble ; Milk, Synecdoche (have you seen the cast of this?), Vicky Cristina Barcelona…
So nomination, yes…. win, no.
Bale was average at best and probably worse than average if people are being honest. Unintelligible dialogue delivery does not a fine performance make.
Gyllenhaal was just rubbish as well.
Caine is a terrific actor but doesn’t really have an awful lot to do in these films.
Freeman is a pretty terrific actor also and has even less to do.
So that leaves a trio of decent performances (which admittedly range from excellent to exceptional) in Oldman, Eckhart and Ledger.
I would not nominate this film for best ensemble given all that.
I think Caine really serves as the heart in The Dark Knight, and he accomplishes quite a lot with his few scenes.
I thought Ledger was, of course, outstanding, and Oldman every bit as good as he was in Begins. Eckhart fared much better before the transformation, and I think Nolan really let him (and the movie) down with his guidance with Two-Face. That said, he was certainly giving it his utmost.
I still wonder if Mama Mia might not get an ensemble nod.
I expect it to be nominated, sure. But will they give the prize to something a bit more typical? I think so.
Billyboy, the SAG’s Best Ensemble category is, a lot of the time, nothing to do with actual “ensemble acting” but how many good actors there are and such.
Any honor that Gary Oldman gets is long overdue… he is quite possibly the least-tapped talent in Hollywood.
The only other lock I can see for SAG ensemble is Milk
I suspect “W.” will be a strong force in the Ensemble category. It should be, at least.
From Brolin to Banks, Cromwell to Dreyfuss, Wright to Burstyn. Fabulous actors, all. Playing nuanced, not two-dimensional characters. With the exception of Thandie Newton, this was a fantastic ensemble performance.
As for “TDK”, again, I really liked the film. It will certainly stand the test of time, and Ledger deserves a nomination.
But to rave about the performances of Caine as a somewhat campy comic book butler and Morgan Freeman pretty much doing “Morgan Freeman” and Maggie Gyllenhal reminding everyone why she’s a fantastic indie actress but not remotely credible in larger, studio fare, “The Dark Knight” was in the same league as a number of other films in terms of overall ensemble performance.
A great film with a number of top shelf actors does not necessarily mean it was an overall strong ensemble performance. And a lot of that has to do with the depth and complexity (or lack thereof) of the characters. Caine and Freeman, literally had nothing to do of substance. Gyllenhal was the obligatory maiden in distress that we’ve seen 1,000 times. And several of the villains, most notably Eric Roberts were so horrendous that they were literally in a different film.
Keep it in perspective, folks.
I have to say I pretty much agree with GAK, although I will say you take it a bit too far for me personally. Especially for Gyllenhal’s character; I wouldn’t say she was good, but I don’t think she was bad either. While I don’t think it was good acting on her part, I think it was great casting. I think her just being her, that kind of cute (yes as opposed to a lot of guys I think she is rather cute) and girl-next door feel to her role, a persona that really offset the demeanor of the rich Bruce Wayne and the powerful and hungry Harvey Dent. To me, a sexier, say more sleek woman would have actually given only a testosterone chasing damsel in distress, if that makes sense because I can’t really think of another way to word it.
I realize that sentence in the middle is very much grammatically incorrect reading over it, but I hope it makes sense.
Also, I tried to imply that a better looking actress would have basically only acted to attract the two men physically. I made it sound like she would chase the men.
Sorry about that, it’s getting pretty late on the east coast.
You say “keep it in perspective” as if smart people with a clear head can’t somehow be in love with the film. Give me a break. Perspective is one of the year’s most critically acclaimed films. Perspective is over $500 million at the box office. Perspective is the people have spoken and the truth is it’s a precious minority that wants to “keep it in perspective” when they’re sorely lacking it.
My two cents.
Also, Roberts was awesome. Nothing wrong with the role or the portrayal. A nice fit in Nolan’s hyper-reality and really, you’re not backing up any of your criticisms. Saying it over and over again doesn’t make it so.
I know its highly unlikely but I would like to see Oldman nominated for the supporting actor oscar, its shameful he has never been nominated before and I feel this is a perfect situation for that to be rectified. It was a pretty good performance, the most grounded of the film and I thought it held it together. Ledger should win but I would be glad to see Oldman get the nod come January.
Yes, this should be nominated. You have to give credit to the rest of the cast–and not just to one or two people–when you make a film this good.
Kris, I wholeheartedly agree with you, and your response was well said.
Tapley,
I luv ya. I love your site. And I love virtually everything you have to say on your site.
But to argue that the enormous box office performance of a film somehow equates with having a fantastic ensemble performance, is silly. One does not necessarily equal the other.
And by perspective, I don’t mean to denigrate the overall quality of the film – which I’ve said repeatedly I liked very much. By perspective, I mean that simply because the film overall was very strong and certainly one of the best of the year, does not necessarily mean that it should be a frontrunner for every top shelf category.
A film can be great without having a superlative ensemble performance. In the case of TDK, I attribute that more to the script and the characters as they were written rather than the acting itself.
Morgan Freeman as “Lucious Fox” was not a memorable character. Gyllenhal as “Rachel Dawes” was not a memorable character who played her role as anything other than the “object of affection”. Michael Caine as “Alfred” played that role pretty much as Michael Gough did in the earlier Batmans. They are all very solid actors, but their roles were what they were. Solidly acted but unexceptional.
And as for Eric Roberts, well, I’m speechless on that point. I kind of thought you were being sarcastic, but apparently not.
Eric Roberts’ performance as a stereotypical Italian gangster “Salvatore Maroni”, while not actually portraying any remotely nuanced aspects of that character, was horrendous. It wasn’t even close. It was a white guy doing a cornball impression of an Italian mobster.
The worst, least talented supporting actor in “The Sopranos” would have been a better choice and delivered a more credible performance than Eric Roberts as an Italian mobster.
It was cringeworthy. I honestly don’t know what movie you were watching if you felt “Roberts was awesome.”
Does Synecdoche have a chance?
Very well said Kris, I just wonder what perspective means for some people, probably something like “I can’t stand the praise for a film the masses loved” ?
Gyllenhaal is probably the weakest link of such great ensemble but to call her acting absurd is just ridiculous and …. absurd. And lol at Caine playing the role as Gough. Guess I saw a different movie.
Some people just take aim at the successful. It’s a story old as time. And anyone who thinks Michael Caine is doing Michael Gough was watching something else…no idea how to respond to something like that.