Baldwin, that is. He's one of my favorite things about any given movie -- that's certainly the case for "The Departed" -- even though Baldwin only had a few minutes of screen time in this year's Best Picture winner, he nailed each scene to the floor. Stephanie Zacharek makes a good argument for giving Baldwin Salon's honorary Oscar for...um...Best Performances in Several Different Pictures in the Same Year (excerpt): Baldwin shines in too many movies to list, and although he's different in every role, his performances often bear trademark qualities. Often, I think, we respond to Baldwin because his mere presence -- his confident bearing, the way he cocks an eyebrow at just the right angle -- speaks of healthy skepticism, an intolerance of idiocy and phoniness. An understated superhero in an age of overstatement, he can zap bullshit with a single glance: His X-ray vision seeks, and destroys, baloney. Baldwin is always both laid-back and on point, which seems a contradiction but is actually a delicate balance that's hard to strike. And although we're lucky to have him now, with his elegant carriage and knife-edge timing -- not to mention that voice, a voice with the texture and suppleness of the silkiest luxury mohair -- he'd be just as much at home in the comedies of the '30s and early '40s: Preston Sturges would have adored him.
Sure, I'll go along with that.
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