Still Alice:

For me, one of the most powerful films of 2014 was Still Alice. Smaller in scope than American Sniper or The Theory Of Everything, it's emotional core, thanks mostly to Juianne Moore, resonated much more deeply to me. Julianne is one of my favorite actress's and although my blog is clearly male focused, Julianne has been a part of many FH features, including piece in The Woman I Love series.

Julianne is clearly the front runner for best actress, any other choice I would see as an upset. Although I am rooting for Julianne to win, and believe her the best of the five nominated actress's, Still Alice isn't my favorite, nor to me, her best performance. I am still haunted by Moore in Far From Heaven and The Hours. The scene in which Alice gives her speech at the alzheimer's conference was one of the most powerful scenes of any film this year. Although she was beyond brilliant, taking on such a complex role, one in which different stages of a disease had to be portrayed, meant there were a few uneven moments. I am not sure any actress's could have glided through the film though any smoother than Julianne managed to do.

In addition to Julianne, the film had a wonderful performance from Kristen Stewart, an actress I was at one time committed to disliking. This is the second film in which Stewart impressed me (the first being On The Road) Julianne and Kristen were surrounded by a stellar supporting cast including Kate Bosworth and a quartet of male actors whom, give it is FH, I am spotlighting below.

Each of the actors portray supporting roles, yet had small moments to shine without taking away from the film's core focus of Alice's discovery and mind altering journey. Alec Baldwin, who has had the tenancy to steal focus, was beautifully subtle and quiet with his performace. Each of the four supporting actors also have roots in television that I thought rather interesting. Some, like Seth Gillian's are current, (The Walking Dead) but some, like Baldwin's, go back to the 1980's. Here is my pictorial salute to the men of Still Alice, and their most well known television roles.

Alec Baldwin as John Howland

Alec in Knots Landing

 Seth Gilliam as Frederic Johnson

Seth in The Walking Dead

Seth in Oz

Shane McRae as Charlie Howland-Jones

Below: Shane in the play, Killers and Other Family

Shane in Chicago Fire

Hunter Parrish as Tom Howland

Hunter in Weeds