venerdì 15 settembre 2017

My ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks (1990) - Part 2

Here's the second part of my ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks (1990-1991). Again, I should specify that the ranking only includes the performances of the first two seasons and not the revival.

29. Michael Parks as Jean Renault

Though it doesn't rank among the characters of the show I find most interesting, I would Parks is a rather effective villain as the manipulative, sleezy Jean Renault. He brings the right sort of elegance and eloquence to the character while always being such a subtly menacing presence. It's not a particularly nuanced role which is the reason why this performance is not higher, but there's no denying that Parks does very well within those limitations and makes for a fairly strong villain that is both entertaining and genuinely scary.

28. Michael Horse as Deputy Sheriff Tommy "Hawk" Hill

Michael Horse' performance is a very quiet and unshowy one yet he manages to leave a strong impression as the stoic Deputy Hawk. Though he's almost never at the center of any given scene, Horse makes for a enjoyable, subtly warm and even comforting presence on-screen and gives a winning portrayal of his character's loyalty. He brings the needed power to his key moments and also nails the lighter moments in which he's actually very entertaining showing off some pretty terrific comedic timing. It's a very nice performance, though his best work is in the third season in which he's given more to do and he absolutely thrives.

27. David Patrick Kelly as Jerry Horne

It's a one-note role but also a rather scene-stealing one and Kelly delivers a flashy, funny performance. He plays the character with just the right amount of flamboyance and never falls into the trap of overacting which could have easily been the case with such a part. He technically is nothing more than a comic relief but he leaves a lasting impression thanks to the energy and life he brings to his performance, his strong comedic chops and his pitch-perfect chemistry with his on-screen brother Richard Beymer. 

26. Warren Frost as Doc Hayward

Warren Frost doesn't really have that much to do throughout the two seasons but he still gives a nicely remarkable and moving performance. He's a consistently welcome presence throughout the show and brings the needed warmth to his character: his character is not a particularly active member of the story for most of the time but he certainly makes Doc an endearing character. When he's asked to do a bit more, especially towards the end of Season 2, Frost proves himself to be perfectly up to the task and brings some emotional honesty and gravitas to the potentially ridiculous storyline involving *Spoiler* Donna's true father (who may or may not be Benjamin Horne) *Spoiler Off*. even though I wish he had someone better to act with than Lara Flynn Boyle.

25. Carel Struycken as The Fireman

The Fireman is one of the most mysterious characters of the whole show and Struycken's performance is one of the reasons why. Though part of the character's uniqueness is due to David Lynch's brilliant direction, Struycken is terrific at being this extremely peculiar, puzzling and off-putting presence, conveying a sense of overwhelming and universal wisdom whenever he appears. His performance is great because he manages to be incredibly disturbing and haunting yet not evil unlike other supernatural characters in the series (such as BOB). I'd say he brought the character to an even higher level in the third season (and if I were to consider that season too, he'd be much higher), but it's a pretty great, unique performance.

24. Michael J. Anderson as The Man from Another Place


For being such an iconic character in the show, his screen-time his surprisingly brief. Still, this is quite a terrific performance and Anderson makes The Man from Another Place one of the most fascinating characters of the whole series. From his unforgettable dancing to his puzzling, undecipherable behavior, Anderson is absolutely fantastic in his portrayal making his character such a strange and sinister presence that fits so well with the unique atmosphere of the scenes in the Black Lodge. He makes The Man from Another Place a properly devious presence in a very subtle way and then being particularly brilliant in the second season finale by switching so effortlessly from bizzarre to downright terrifying.

23. Kenneth Welsh as Windom Earle

I could actually see some people hating this performance, and understandably so, but I thought it worked rather well. In a certain way I'd say Welsh oversimplified the character going for a manic, unhinged approach that is indeed effective but kind of deprives Windom Earle of potential nuances that could have been found. Still, it's a rather impressive and scary performance and Welsh is certainly an unpredictably creepy and menacing presence whenever he appears. I particularly like his scenes with Eric Da Re as the two of them create such an interesting and odd dynamic in their scenes together, with Welsh being especially effective in his depiction of his character's sleazy manipulation.

22. Harry Goaz as Deputy Andy Brennan

I know that Andy is a rather beloved character and that his position in my ranking might be a little too low for some, but I have to admit I found Goaz's performance occasionally a bit too much for me to completely love it. He's never bad but there a re a few scenes that are just a little over-the-top and seems like a little phony in their obvious attempt to be funny. I still don't want to sound too critical regarding this performance because there's obviously plenty to like and for most of the time Goaz delivers a wonderfully entertaining portrayal. His character could have easily been a caricature but Goaz manages to stop just before turning him into that: he makes Andy a very endearing and likeable character and is very entertaining in his portrayal of his character's clumsiness, but at the same time he gives a rather touching and compelling portrait of his character's loyalty and good-nature and shares a properly sweet chemistry with Kimmy Robertson.

21. Kimmy Robertson as Lucy Moran

I wasn't quite sure of her performance at the very beginning but she quickly managed to win me over. Robertson is a hoot as the squeaky-voiced, ditzy secretary and makes the most out of every single moment thanks to her pitch-perfect comedic timing and brilliant delivery (her voice could have easily been dreadfully annoying but she manages to make it both funny and endearing). She's always a welcome presence on-screen and she is wonderful in the subplot regarding her baby, working so wonderfully with both Goaz and Ian Buchanan (hilariously and deliciously obnoxious). She also hits every emotional beat throughout the series and as I mentioned above her chemistry with Goaz is nothing short of wonderful.

20. Peggy Lipton as Norma Jennings

Norma could have been such a thankless role being such a quiet, "ordinary" character among all of the peculiar ones in the show, but Peggy Lipton delivers a wonderfully down-to-earth that never ends up being overshadowed. She is a warm, welcome presence throughout the series and never makes you doubt of Norma's good-hearted nature. She shares an especially poignant chemistry with Madchen Amick and the two actresses makes their friendship feel emotionally resonant and true. And of course she shines best in the scenes opposite Chris Mulkey and Everett McGill: in her scenes with the former, she empathetically portrays the reasons why Norma doesn't leave Hank and then delivers absolutely in their final scene together; in her scenes with the latter, she's heartbreaking in her depiction of her character's love for Ed and the two actors realize so well the pure, everlasting feeling between the two.

Next: ranking from 19 to 11.

lunedì 4 settembre 2017

My ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks (1990) - Part 1

I have to apologize again for being so slow with my reviews. I'm trying to post as often as I can but sadly I haven't had that much spare time lately. I'll soon post my review of Marisa Tomei's Oscar-winning performance but meanwhile I've decided to post my ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks (1990), which is definitely one of my favorite television series.

37. Heather Graham as Annie Blackburn
She comes in last for me not because it's a terrible performance but because Annie is a completely useless character that was clearly introduced just to replace Audrey Horne as Agent Cooper's potential love interest. In her few episodes in the series, Annie stands out in the wrong fashion - she seems ill-fitting to the unique atmosphere of Twin Peaks and even though this could be intentational as Annie is supposed to be somewhat of an outsider I never felt it really worked. Heather Graham is not awful in the role and she has a few charming moments but overall her performance felt somewhat weak and not incisive enough to make the character feel any less forced. She never made me care too much about Annie's personal tragedy and doesn't really share that much chemistry with Kyle MacLachlan, not to mention that she occasionally makes a few really odd acting choices.

36. James Marshall as James Hurley
Out of the main characters, I've always felt James Hurley to be by far the least interesting one and that's partly due to James Marshall's performance. The role of James is quite tricky to pull off as he's supposed to be somewhat mysterious, good-hearted and tormented all at once. I never felt James Marshall ever really managed to find the right path with the role as I've always found his performance to be rather dull as he mostly keeps the same dour, one-note expression throughout the series. I never felt really invested in his character's plight, I never really understood the motivations behind his actions and I never cared much about his romance with Lara Flynn Boyle's Donna as I thought their chemistry was lacking. Not to mention that his own subplot in Season 2 is perhaps one of the weakest elements of the series. I wouldn't necessarily call his performance a truly bad one and he has a couple of successful moments but overall I was unimpressed. Despite having much less screen-time I thought he was better in the show's third season.

35. Lara Flynn Boyle as Donna Hayward
I really liked Lara Flynn Boyle's performance in the first couple of episodes: I thought her reaction to Laura's death in the classroom was devastating and I thought she did a nice job at portraying both her grief over her friend's demise and her realization of her feelings for James. But after that I felt she completely lost the grip on the character: Donna is supposed to be the somewhat insecure, sensitive friend of Laura Palmer but after the beginning Boyle plays her with a misplaced confidence that does not fit with the concept of the character. I thought she was very bland for most of the remaining episodes, delivering her lines with the same, monotonous, breathless tone and relying on always the same mannerisms (smile through tears, slightly raising one eyebrow). She has a couple of good moments throughout (her outburst in the graveyard) but mostly I felt her performance to be a weird mix between stilted and melodramatic.

34. Eric Da Re as Leo Johnson
Unlike in Graham's, Marshall's and Boyle's cases, I really don't have a problem with this performance and I think Da Re is perfectly good in the role. In the series' first season, I found him to be a properly menacing presence especially in the scenes of domestic violence. It's a rather limited part as he's mostly just a mean abuser with not many layers and I fail to see in his performance the reasons why Shelly was attracted to him in the first place, but still he gives a fairly effective portrayal of his character's viciousness. In the second season I thought he was good as well in his portrayal of his character's damaged state though he again is quite limited by the fact that he's mostly just Windom Earle's henchman. To his credit he does well with what he has and even manages to create some sympathy for the character in the last few episodes.

33. Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Henry Truman
Another case of a rather good potrayal of a limited character. Truman serves as the straight man to Kyle MacLachlan's quirky Dale Cooper and Ontkean serves the purpose of the role perfectly well: he's always a bit overshadowed by MacLachlan but he gives a perfectly solid performance that is often engaging and endearing. He shares a very nice chemistry with MacLachlan and the two of them make their characters' friendship realistic and moving. He also does quite well in his scenes on his own and he's particularly effective at portraying his sincere love for Josie Packard (Joan Chen). The main reason why he isn't lower is that there are a few terrible moments in his performance that are unintionally laughable, such as his "PUT IT DOWN!" in his final scene with Chen and his drunken outburst. Those moments aren't many but they detract a little from the performance, which is still good overall.

32. Frank Silva as Bob
This performance is very hard to rank as on one hand it's undeniably effective but on the other hand Bob is not really a character but rather more of a presence. Silva definitely makes Bob the threatening, menacing and terrifying presence he is supposed to be and every scene of his is downright chilling. It's a purposefully inhuman performance and Silva is great at being a ferocious, animalistic figure whenever he appears. David Lynch's direction definitely enhance the performance which is indeed memorable even if it's technically rather one-note. 

31. Madchen Amick as Shelly Johnson
A perfectly solid performance and gets placed this low only because the show has a pretty amazing ensemble. Amick's performance is not among the most memorable of the cast but she's still pretty remarkable in the role, portraying very well her character's immaturity (and her poor taste in men) while still making us sympathize with her plight. She's very touching in her scenes with Da Re enhancing both the terrifying nature and the emotional power of the scenes depicting his abuse, while in the second season she effectively portrays her character's frustration as she has to deal with her husband's condition and her stormy relationship with Bobby (Dana Ashbrook). She's also good in the less emotionally charged scenes and she's a generally quite charming presence on-screen, sharing a particularly endearing chemistry with Peggy Lipton. It's a very good performance though I felt her best work in the series is in the third season.

30. Chris Mulkey as Hank Jennings
This is one of those performance that I find faultless and perfectly fitting to the character but just don't love particularly. Mulkey's performance is very good as he portrays so well Hank's viciousness making him a properly despicable character and I particularly appreciate the way he handles his scenes with Peggy Lipton: there's a genuine love on his character's part but at the same time he's very effective at portraying his character's unwillingness to accept the fact that he does not deserve her. He effectively shows how Hank subtly manipulates her into staying with him and overall creates a rather compelling and fascinating character. The reason why he's relatively low on this list is not because his performance is not good but simply because I like other performances in the show better. 

Next: ranking from 29 to 20.

This ranking only counts the performances in the first two seasons of the show. I loved the third season, I thought it was a groundbreaking experience and I'd love to talk about its performance (especially Naomi Watts' and Laura Dern's, both amazing) but it would be really hard for me to rank such a huge ensemble.