Current Obsession: Ciaran Hinds

I have seen a lot of Ciaran Hinds lately, and that is not a bad thing.  I was vaguely aware of him before, because I can not pronounce his name which sits with stature and grace on the page.  He was in Steven Spielberg's Munich, but I don't remember him.  Then again, I don't remember Daniel Craig from that film either.  I didn't really like that movie.  Although, anything that puts Eric Bana on the screen is a worthy use of celluloid.

Tangents...sorry.  Anyway, now Hinds has exploded.  He is everywhere, and goddamn in he talented.  He can play cold and vicious with ease.  Warm and lovable effortlessly.  Dull and stupid with enough conviction that you think, for a moment, he may actually be.

He was in Margot at the Wedding, playing Nicole Kidman's greasy lover, and that was one of the best films of last year.  He was in Paul Thomas Andersen's There Will Be Blood, also released last year-- a film which defies all qualifiers.  He was Ryan Phillipe's father in Kimberly Peirce's Stop Loss, which is so far the best film of this year.  Albeit, that isn't high praise, and while the film had flaws it also had an undeniable dramatic scope and power.  And, of course, he was perhaps most visible in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day as Frances McDormand's crush.  He kept that movie grounded when all it really wanted to do was veer of course in bizarre and unexpected ways.  Those are four extraordinary film choices, Ciaran.

Do you know who this person is?  Probably not.  He does what a good character actor does-- blends seamlessly into the structure of a film adding support without overshadowing.  But, his time has come.  Pettigrew, if nothing else, showed that he can be a viable romantic lead, even if his appearance will limit that.  He looks like a healthier, cleaner version of Pete Postlethwaite.  That's perhaps more of a compliment than it sounds.

Cheers to Ciaran Hinds.  Keep up the good work.