'Twas The Night Before

I took the pleasure of watching Rounders tonight as it was aired on one of the channels I stream, and I forgot how good John Malkovich is in the film. His character, Teddy KGB, isn't in the film for long until the end when he and Matt Damon, playing Mike McDermott, sit across from one another. It's another wonderful performance from Malkovich that is accented by Damon's character's poker-playing skills and Michael Rispoli's tension as Grama, but it dawned on me just how good Malkovich has been over his career in various character roles.

If you came for hockey chatter, that's not happening here tonight because Malkovich's performance in 1998 film is only one of a few I watched this evening. When one adds on the paranoid Marvin Boggs from Red and Red 2 and the hilarious Osborne Cox from Burn After Reading, it might sound starange to say that Malkovich has as much success playing oddballs as he does reading Shakespeare.

I'm not here for a career review of the 71 year-old actor, though. It's Christmas Eve, after all, and that means there's a mandatory reading of one poem on this night. For this reading, I turn to Mr. Malkovich because he is such an accomplished stage and screen presence, but also because his delivery of both the poem and the comedic elements added to this presentation are unequalled. Without further delay, here is John Malkovich on Saturday Night Live with his reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Enjoy and have a laugh!
His factual additions to the story crack me up through the whole poem because he never once breaks "character" while delivering any of the insane information he provides. This is, in my opinion, one of his best performances because of how he deadpans his way through the entire poem. I know it's not the whole poem read in full, but it needs to be posted here as one of my favorite Malkovich moments.

Because it's Christmas Eve on HBIC, here's Michael Bublé's reading of the poem as he's a part-owner of the WHL's Vancouver Giants!

Best wishes to all on this Christmas Eve, and here's hoping that Santa is good to each and every one of you. As both John Malkovich and Michael Bublé read, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!