Does it matter that the genre and its best performances are regularly overlooked by most mainstream awards bodies?
But consider this: cinema is by now a long-established artform.
The best sci-fi movies arguably achieve the same thing.
Where else is the sense of mystery and triumphant discovery felt more keenly than in, say,Solaris?
What other genre could explore the nature of addiction with the same humor and pathos asA Scanner Darkly?
Here are a few examples.
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A travesty, really, given the ethereal presence she brings to this classic film.
Dreyfuss lobbied hard to get the role, clearly knowing he could do something wonderful with it.
He did, and its a performance which deserved far more praise and attention.
Theres something genuinely interesting and hypnotic about it.
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A survivor, unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.
I cant lie to you about your chances, but… you have my sympathies.
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Gooey special effects aside,The Flyis, at heart, a twisted romance.
Brundles doomed relationship with journalist Veronica (Geena Davis) is all the more tragic because its so brief.
Its a time-accelerated version of every human love affair sooner or later, all death interrupts all romances.
Both Goldblum and Davis deserved more recognition than they did for bringing such resonance to their respective roles.
Rob Bottins suit design is an iconic one, and looks perfect in still images.
But Weller makes RoboCop move and gives him life.
Weller digs deep into the machine and finds the human spirit within.
Together, the pair hatch a plan that essentially sees them become the one, perfect person society requires.
Both performances are restrained and endlessly watchable.
Laws turn his first in an American film is heartbreakingly poignant.
After all,The Truman Showis all about reality viewed through his characters eyes.
His final bid for freedom is a truly emotional sequence.
This is certainly the case in his debut feature, 1998sPi.
Sean Gullette plays Max, a startlingly intelligent yet emotionally troubled mathematician.
Max creates a supercomputer called Euclid to get to find patterns in the stock market.
Instead, the machine spews out a 216-digit sequence of numbers, which he at first dismisses as nonsensical.
Theres a strong argument that Gullette should have been singled out for the same level of attention and praise.
Downey Jr clearly enjoys wrapping his tongue around Barriss rambling, self-regarding dialogue.
Heres another example for you.
Or that she would wind up being the movies emotional center, and not Tom Hardys title character?
Theron gives her character mystery, dignity and inner life.
