Some of Panopticon's Favorites

I apologize in advance for the lengthy post. Like The Critic I wanted to begin by introducing some of my favorite actors, television shows, and films. More "favorite lists" will come later. As for the length, I promise future posts will be shorter.

Favorite Actor
I have to agree here with The Critic. Daniel Day-Lewis is riveting in every role he plays. His emotional range is a work of genius, reaching depths I’ve rarely seen in many actors. I liken great acting to this—the ability to allow the audience to “forget” that one is acting. Simply stated, while watching Day-Lewis work, one “disremembers” that acting is being done. I have to say this is a talent that even the best of our time often do not exhibit. For example, while I love Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro I am almost always conscious of the fact that it is Nicholson and De Niro on screen. This is not the case with Lewis. I’m sure I’ll have more to say on his work later on. I will say this—I would love to see him attempt to do some comedy as I am sure he has the emotional range to do so. This might be something that often gets overlooked in the depth of his work—the subtle humor of some of his most intense characters, i.e., The Butcher in Scorsese’s Gangs of New York as well as P.T. Anderson’s There Will Be Blood. I’ll reserve specific examples for future posts.
Other Favorites include Sean Penn, Al Pacino, Clive Owen (a new favorite)

Favorite Actress Julianne Moore
Hands down she is magnificent in every way. Subtle, understated, beautiful, graceful, raw. Like Lewis she has a range unseen in many at her craft. My favorite performance of hers is hands down P.T.A’s Magnolia. I am thinking specifically of the scene where she begrudges the pharmacists for judging her while picking up the “cocktail” of various drugs for her dying husband… as well as for herself. That “shame on you. Shame on both of you!” still gives me goose bumps.

Favorite TV Show(s): Lost, Seinfeld, Dexter, House...
Admittedly I do not give most television shows the time of day. After much pressing from the Critic and others I finally gave Lost a try last year. I watched the first 2 and a half seasons in about 2 weeks time, taking breaks only to…well usually only to switch disks. I am essentially a “what happens next” kind of audience member. If I do not care “what happens next” I lose interest pretty quickly. Suffice to say, Lost is the cream of the crop where I am concerned. I am also biased towards plots w/ twists, bends and turns, but also open up a philosophical dialogue. Lost never manages to disappoint in this regard. I’m sure the Critic and I will have a bunch of things to say about Lost in the coming weeks.

Seinfeld: This would be considered 1A on my list. I can watch any episode and break out into gut-wrenching laughter. I have a soft spot for George as I identify with him on many, many levels.

A perhaps not so distant second is Dexter, which I also caught onto recently and also watched rather swiftly. The writing in Dexter is top notch and the acting is excellent as well. Although I am curious to see where the third season will go. It will certainly be a testament to great writing if they can hold our interest past the second season.
For those who have not watched the show but plan to I urge you to skip this next section:
I am curious to see what season three will bring. It was kind of predictable during season one that Dexter’s sister will in some way end up unknowingly hunting her brother. But what the heck will they do for season three? What’s left? This is where the creative brilliance will enter.

House: Amazing show combinging mystery with great acting and dialogue. I wonder what doctors think of this one? Do patients enter a hospital thinking, "what would "house " do?"

Other shows of interest” Friday Night Lights. It is more than just a football show. This show probably suffered because of its name. Most people think it is strictly about football, which is not the case. I also loved Journeyman, which probably suffered from lack of patience and bad advertisement. The Critic and I mourn its death. (weep)


Favorite Film?? Forrest Gump
This is a difficult task. However unlike the Critic I will not take the easy way out on this one. For now I’ll simply say Forrest Gump is my all time favorite with Magnolia coming in a close second. Yes it is difficult to decide—it can depend on any number of variables, not to mention that we can all decide favorites based on genre. I will say this about how I rank my top-lists. It is admittedly a shaky system, but if I can watch it over and over and over again, discovering something new at each viewing, it will probably end up as an all-time favorite. I’ll have more to say on why certain films get to that top list later.
Other films on my “Tops List”—off the top of my head: Usual Suspects, The Last Temptation of Christ, Natural Born Killers, Shawshank Redemption, The Sixth Sense, Rear Window, Vertigo, and Citizen Kane. OK, so maybe The Critic was right… I can’t decide either. Perhaps It’ll be easier to make a top 25 list and go from there.