The Live-Action Performances Bracket, Round 3

It’s my birthday, and I’ll write up a blog if I want to (blog if I want to). Apologies for being a couple hours late with this one, but you know the drill: we have a new round of performances to vote on as we get closer to a number-one. Here are my picks.

Day 1

(1) Bob Hoskins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit vs. (12) Jason Segel, The Muppets

This one’s easy, not just because the race is already a rout. I wouldn’t have chosen Segel to go this far to begin with. But Hoskins’ work with animated characters — work, in short, with characters who weren’t even with him on set — is massively influential while also being extraordinary to watch. I vote for Hoskins.

(3) Rick Moranis, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids vs. (2) Brendan Fraser, George of the Jungle

I can’t stop you from voting the way you like, or for the reasons you like. But I need to emphasize something: you’re supposed to vote for actors based only on specific performances. To wit: generally speaking, Rick Moranis is a brilliant comic talent. Ghostbusters? Great. Little Shop of Horrors? Wonderful. While I like the 1989 film in which he stars (and says the title), I don’t think his work in Honey is his best. And compared to the irrepressible Fraser, this isn’t a hard bracket for me. It appears to be for others! But for me…no. I vote for George of the Jungle.

Day 2

(1) Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins vs. (13) Bette Midler, Hocus Pocus

I haven’t seen Sully, but I look at this matchup and think of that screenshot of Tom Hanks saying “Can we get serious here?” Come on. Andrews. That’s that.

(3) Angela Lansbury, Bedknobs and Broomsticks vs. (7) Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act

To a lesser extent, I have the same reaction. Angela Lansbury is an international treasure. Period. Full stop.

Day 3

(1) Amy Adams, Enchanted vs (4) Lindsay Lohan, The Parent Trap

Yes, I know. Lindsay Lohan plays two characters. And she does it well! Amy Adams, though, for all of her Oscar nominations, should’ve won for playing Princess Giselle. A brilliant performance that gets better with age.

(6) John Candy, Cool Runnings vs. (2) Michael Caine, The Muppet Christmas Carol

To those of you who predicted at the start that John Candy would be a dark-horse candidate for a while, I tip my hat to you. You were right! Good for you! Sorry to see him go, because I vote for Michael Caine. Not my favorite Muppet movie, almost because of how good Caine is and how at odds his performance is with the general antics of the Muppets. But great work is great work.

Day 4

(1) Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl vs. (4) Dick Van Dyke, Mary Poppins

Dick Van Dyke did a terrible British accent in Mary Poppins, it’s true. That’s about as bad as his otherwise energetic performance gets. At a certain point, I cannot help but admit that watching Johnny Depp in the first (and still best) Pirates of the Caribbean is a tough experience, tainted not only by the fact that Depp has played a variation on the same self-consciously quirky hero often in the last 15 years but by all of his public…issues.

Depp as a number-one seed made sense to me. He still does. But in this matchup, I vote for Bert the chimney sweep.

(3) Timothy Dalton, The Rocketeer vs. (2) Tim Curry, Muppet Treasure Island

This is a toughie. You know I love The Rocketeer. (To anyone who thought Bill Campbell’s performance was bland enough that it deserved to lose to Jason Segel in The Muppets, we…uh…we have a difference of opinion. Let’s say that.) But Tim Curry in Muppet Treasure Island is one of the funniest performances in Disney history. It’s one of my favorite pieces of acting, watching him go balls to the wall, over the top, etc. against a bunch of Muppets. Neville Sinclair is a great baddie. Long John Silver is just a hair better.

I vote for Tim Curry.