For years, people have been comparing George Pattison to Jack Nicholson. And as good as those two actors are, they don’t hold a candle to Pattison when it comes to pure comedy talent. So it is no surprise that his career as a stand-up comedian spanned more than half a century.
Pattison was born in 1928 in London, England. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda) where he joined the Lamda Players – an acting group dedicated to creating new work. As a member of the group, he performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – where he became friends with future co-star and director John Cleese.
Pattison made his professional acting debut in 1955, followed by a string of appearances in British films and then American television shows. He returned to the UK in the early 1960s and began taking on leading roles in smaller British films – which gradually led to bigger and more prominent parts. After appearing in a number of films in the 1980s, he finally established himself as a leading man in Hollywood – taking on roles such as the dastardly Lord Belmont in the 1981 classic How to Make an American Quilt
Pattison has been incredibly lucky to have been able to act in some of the greatest films of all time – and even more fortunate to have had such iconic roles. And while he may not have been the best actor of the decade, he is certainly one of the most recognizable faces of the past ten years.
Why Should You Watch Pattison 2020?
Pattison is best known for portraying haughty British aristocrats and snarling movie tycoons. But beyond that, he has acted in so many films that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly which parts you should have seen as opposed to which you should have ignored.
Many consider him to be one of the greatest comedians of all time. So it is no surprise that he has appeared in over 70 films throughout his career. He made his Broadway debut in 1974 playing the lead in the one-man show Tommy – a one-of-a-kind performance that is required to be seen to be believed.
One of our personal favorites is the 1971 film Putney Swope. The script is by noted comedic authors Neil Simon and Stephen Sondheim (who also penned the musicals Sweeney Todd and Company) and is based on the 1969 novel of the same name by William S. Burroughs. It is the story of a wisecracking, aging film mogul who teams up with a feisty young actress to pull off an heist in Venice, Italy. The performances are fantastic and the film manages to evoke the mood and energy of a jazz club in New York City during that era. Putney Swope is such an underrated gem, and it features one of the most memorable performances by an actor ever (so we think at least).
And then there is The Shining. For those unfamiliar, The Shining is the highly regarded and regarded adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling horror novel, published in 1977. Jack Nicholson plays the part of Jack Torrence, a caretaker at the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado mountains. Torrence is in charge of maintaining order and safety at the hotel and is generally a sympathetic figure whose job it is to look after the guests.
But as the story goes, madness begins to creep in slowly and then completely takes over when his wife (Shelley Duvall) and daughter (Diane Lacey) are viciously murdered by an insane former hockey player (Bill Murray) who has been released from an asylum. For those who have seen the film at least twice, it is always a treat to see Murray and Jack Nicholson’s performances. It is amazing how different The Shining is in tone and style from most of the other films mentioned so far – but it still fits perfectly in the line of the story.
Top 5 Films Of The 2020s (So Far)
In our opinion, these are the best of the best among the many great films that were released in the last decade.
- The Irishman (2019) **
- Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019)
- Black Widow (2019)
- The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2019)
- Marquise (2019)
- Shoplifting (2019)
These are all excellent films, but there is one thing that they all have in common. They were all released in the last ten years, which means that they were all made after 2010.
So how does 2020 compare to the other years? Let’s take a look.
The Best Films Of The 2010s
The decade of the 2010s was the golden age of television comedy, and people have been comparing it to the golden era of film comedy (yes, the 1950s and 1960s were awesome too). For those who grew up during the 2010s, it was a time of great humor films – with a particular focus on dark comedy and absurdist humor.
This trend continued into the 2020s. In fact, one could even say that the very best films of the last decade were made in the 2010s. Here is a list of the top five films of the decade, as determined by the Good Dinosaur.
- The Hangover Part III (2010) – This installment in the Hangover franchise is actually the third part of a trilogy. That’s right, folks – there were two parts before this one. It’s been a while since we’ve had a trilogy of comedy films. The other two parts are:
- The Hangover (2009) – The original film and its prequel, The Hangover Part II
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2010) – The year 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of Mae West’s death. But instead of putting together a traditional, black-tie funeral, the producers of this modern comedy decided to celebrate the legendary actress’ life by releasing a film adaptation of her most famous plays. One of which is titled Forgetting Sarah Marshall – named after one of West’s most famous one-liners. The film follows a recently divorced architect who is struggling to come to terms with his new status quo. He decides to throw a party and invites his friends from work along with a few other couples he meets online. The friends begin to have flashbacks to their high school days in a state of mind-altering drugs, and the architect has to figure out a way to help them remember what happened.
This is one of the greatest comedies of all time – and one of the reasons that it is so successful is because it nails the tone of teenage years. It is filled with the kinds of jokes that people told while they were drunk or high back in the day – but it is also packed with complex characters and subtle jokes that will make the most seasoned comedy fan laugh out loud. This is also one of the rare cases where a sequel is even better than the original. If you have never seen or heard of The Hangover movie, you must see this one. It is essential viewing for anyone who loves comedy films.
Five Most Anticipated Movies Of 2021
While it is still too early to tell, it is safe to assume that the next few years will continue the trend seen in the previous decade, where the best films are often made into TV series, or released online, or both.
Here is a list of five most anticipated films of 2021, as determined by the Good Dinosaur community. Hopefully, these will all be amazing films and will continue the trend set by the previous five years.
10 Cloverfield Lane
20th Century Fox is responsible for some of the greatest movies ever made, and they definitely did not disappoint with this one. After releasing the fantastic Alien: Covenant earlier this year, they are now setting their sights on another landmark – the tenth anniversary of the original release of Cloverfield. Fans of the horror-comedy series (which was initially inspired by the 2016 movie, Deepwater Horizon) will be able to witness the return of many of the main cast and crew as the studio is preparing for the long-awaited sequel.