Monday, October 27, 2008
Film Performance Review
You are required to watch at least ( 2 ) film acting performances from my list of Best Acting Performances. Below write ( 2 ) well-thought out, detailed reviews of each film acting performance. Make sure to discuss character, commitment to the role, acting techniques, overall actor's approach (emotional, physical, psychological).
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I have watched Forest Gump and A Streetcar Named Desire for the fil project. I have watched Tom Hanks and Vivien Leigh as they acted on these films. They have done their physical and emotional acting perfectly and they were both nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor on these films.
I saw the movie Big with Tom Hanks the other day, and I have to admit, I didn't like it as much as i liked Forrest Gump and Philadelphia. But Tom HAnks did commit to the role completey, acting as a thirteen year old that had no idea what the adult world was like. It was fascinating how childlike he was, and maybe there's a child in everyone. He let his inner child out, and it was funny to see him act like that, like jumping on the trampoline and just going all out in FAO Schwartz. His costar, the woman that played Susan, was committed as well, and it was really cute when she fell in love with him. I liked her anger when she thought that he was lying to her, and he was already married. It was also nice when they said their last goodbyes, him promising to look her up in 10 years (creepy..how old is she?). Anyway, they both did well in the film in general, it just wasn't my kind of movie. "Susan" was amazing at slowly changing her total outlook on people. And "Josh" was naive and almost helpless in the world of adulthood.
Two movies that i have seen on the list are The Color Purple and Sybil. First of all they are both unbeleivable movies to begin with but they also have amazing acting performances within them. The title character in Sybil has multiple personalities. Now any actor probably could change from character to character with ease but truly she takes it to another level. She plays this role so well I don't even have the words to describe it. she without a dought deserved the emmy she won for her portrayal of this extremely difficult character and i absolutely adore this movie. Another movie i watched was the color purple. I knew it was a book and i knew it was a movie but i had actually seen the broadway show first and LOVED IT! so i deceided i should see the movie. I think the performances given by Whoopi goldberg and oprah winfrey were fantastic. The way that whoopi shows not only phyisically but emotionally as well all the different facets of her character as she ages as the movie goes on. Also it was amazing to see oprah in that kind of setting. It thought they both were great and what a great story/movie! both these ladies absolutely deserve their oscar nominations (i think they shouldve won).
yeah so about 5 seconds ago i finished watching Girl, Interrupted, and it was so well done. I had no idea that Angelina Jolie could do anything like that, so I'm surprised in a good way. Her character was a sociopath, and she did that so well, with her manipulating ways, and her abillity to push people's buttons. It was so good, and for most of the movie, she was my fvorite character, so full of charisma and spunk. Winona Ryder was so dedicated to her role as Susannah that I was hoping that she was able to leave the institute. I can't think of anyone who could have given abetter performance than those two. OF course, other characters were essential to the plot, but they were the main ones. They really made me believe that they were crazy, and i was so scared at the part in the end when Lisa read Susannah's journal. They were so genuine, and I'm glad that at least Angelina won an Academy award. The movie was so good, but it was a little freaky...
love Tom Hanks. Just puttin' it out there. In Big and Forest Gump, he plays kind of a weirdo character both times. In Big, it's so amazing how he portrays so vividly this 13 year old boy in an adult's body. The immaturity that he can play with throughout the film is just so amazing that it just makes you laugh...because... if anyone knew a 13 year old, (before cell phones and sex and drugs flooded middle schools) that's exactly what they would've acted like. With Forest Gump, I'm really not sure exactly what was wrong with him, whether it was just a studder or he had something really wrong with him, but you could tell he wasn't "all there". It seems to me that it would be so difficult to play that role while doing it 1. seriously and 2. well. I was amazing with both of his performances, and others...especially "Castaway", even though I'm not supposed to be talking about that. Anyway, Tom Hanks is the best. The End!
I saw the movie Philadelphia with Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, and it was AMAZING! I cried so hard after this movie; the parts were played so well. It was about a man with aids (Tom Hanks). Tom was sueing the his company because the company was firiing him because he had aids, and Denzel was his lawyer. The characters brought emotional intensity to the movie.
Ray (me) first watched BIG. Tom Hanks must have practiced a lot for this role and it probably took a lot of energy. Tom Hanks was a 30 year old man (which doesn't take a lot of energy for the part) who made a wish and woke up a 13 year old boy. He played that part in the movie but it didn't require acting phisically like he was 13- and if it did... he sucked. but the movie required Tom to just have the presence of a 13 year old boy. All of his acting techniques were right on point and he really did give off the presence of a little boy throughout the moive. He had a great acting performance.
The second movie i watched THE EXORCIST. Linda Blair... well wow. theres not really not a lot to say. She took this part and made it into the freakiest thing i've like almost ever seen. when this movie came out in theaters in '73 the face and scareyness and omg everything was so crazy about her. She made people in the movies faint and cry and well yeah. Linda took this part and created a whole new level of creepiness. k. She was amazzzzzing... ;)
BIG and THE EXCORIST were both great movies and the main parts of these movies had great acting tecniques...
The two movies that I have chosen to review are A Streetcar Named Desire and Girl Interupted. I chose these two films because I feel that the actors and actresses did a stellar job with their work and because, well, THEY ARE AWESOME FILMS! First off, Marlon Brando was perfect for the part of Stanley Kowalski. He not only had the strong, bulky, "tough guy" physique, but he had the expirience and technique to be able to play the part. Marlon Brando is a very emotional actor and uses an acting technique called method acting. Using this style of acting, an actor/actress would incorporate real life expiriences into their work and character. Marlon Brando draws on his own emotions in an effort to portray Stanley Kowalski properly and realistically. This induces a life like performance that many can connect to. In the famous scene where Stanley calls out to his wife, Stella, after having beaten her, and falls to his knees with helplessness, he most likely drew from his distressing childhood after his father left him and his siblings early in his life.
So I watched one of my favorite movies, Dreamgirls, for this review. I chose to directly review the performance of Jennifer Hudson, who won an oscar for her betrayl of Effie White in this film. The reason I picked her performance is becuase it far superior to any other made in the film, and it was also her big screen debut, which I thought was interesting. Here is this new girl who has never had any film experience except for American Idol, and she makes a bang in this movie leaving her fellow actors in the dust. Her betrayl of Effie, the star turned struggling mother, was a truly emotional journey, and it completely showed in her acting and was deeply portrayed to the audience. She allowed herself to not hold anything back and truly gave the performance of a life time, singing, dancing, and of course acting her heat out. She was easily able to take on this role and emrse herself in these situations, that were probably new and unusual to her in real life, and make the audience fall in love with her. That is clearly what she did. Although from the eyes of her fellow actors within the movie she was almost looked at as the "bad guy", the audience is able to see the heart within her and really fall in love with this character, routing for her all the way until the finale. I think the best part of this performance is the change that she makes within her chracter about half way through the film. In the beginning she is a young girl who is on her way to stardom but thinks of herself as a star, not afraid to speak her mind and her feelings. After she is kicked out of the group, you clearly see a change in her and this is the point where you fall in love with her and want things to turn out okay for her in the end. This is one of my favorite performances ever!
For the second film, I decided to watch Philidelphia starring Tom Hanks. I obviously decided to review his performance because it is one that was definitely Oscar-worthy. In this movie he takes on the role of someone living with AIDS who has just been fired from his job becuase of it. I really want to take a close look at his betrayl of a real person, living with this disease. Obviously he does not have AIDS in real life, so there is the first challenge for him, and probably the biggest. How to portray a real person living with this disease, without knowing first hand what it was like. Hanks undeniably creates this character and clearly shows the audience a real man living with a real disease. He is able to clearly portray the different stages of this disease as it attacks his character and overall does and unbelieveable job of creating this character that the audience really believes to be real and really feels for. There are so few words to describe the unbelieveable quality. He was able to fully commit to this character and clealry let it take over his body, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. This is an acting performance that is far superior to many I have seen in a long time. This is probably one of the most challeneging roles I have ever seen an actor have to take on and Hanks does this with ease, taking the audience to this world where this character is real.
Overall these two movies were unbelieveable and the performances of Jennifer Hudson and Tom Hanks were outstanding, both deserving of Oscars!
The other movie that I chose to review is Girl Interupted, (one of my all time favorite films), specifically Angelina Jolie's performance as Lisa Rowe. Angelina won an Oscar for her amazing performance and her unique ability to portray this distinctive role effectively. In the film, Lisa Rowe is a sociopath and a resident of Claymore mental hospital where she has resided for 7 years. While there, Lisa refuses take her medicine, mocks her doctors and causes problems with the other residents. Angelina does a terrific job of portraying this emotion through her facial expressions and body language. She was able to show the audience the two sides of Lisa, (the aggressive, seductive side and the emotional, loving, comforting side), which together conflict but brought about seperately create a round, interesting character that throughtout the film, many leanrn to feel for. Every time I watch the movie, I feel myself connecting more and more to this rebelious girl who, in the long run, helps every one of the residents of claymore find themselves (specifically Susanna). Who knows, maybe it's just me who feels this way about Lisa, but I think it is Angelina's unique talent for grabbing the hearts of the audience that did it. She sure did get mine!
Below write ( 2 ) well-thought out, detailed reviews of each film acting performance. Make sure to discuss character, commitment to the role, acting techniques, overall actor's approach (emotional, physical, psychological).
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I watched Running with Scissors and The Dark Knight. For these reviews I'm picking Annette Bening from Running with Scissors and Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight to do the analysis on.
Annette Bening played Deidre Burroughs and I have to admit, she was terrifying. The entire movie was really very creepy but her part in everything was insane. Literally. You could really believe in everything she did and said. Her movements, her voice, her everything was just so appropriate to the role she was playing. The woman herself, Deidre gives up her son to her psychiatrist and yet she obsessively loves him. She'll do terrible things to him but the instant he turns from her, she breaks into begging. Something like that is really shaky to play and I was just in awe of her performance and how well she managed to pull it off. It was as if... she really was insane. She had the shakes and chills and fits and I can't even imagine what kind of preparation she must've had to make for the part. She was so convincing that I actually could feel the fear of some of the other characters.
Next is Heath Ledger as the Joker from The Dark Knight. Let me say first that I absolutely despised the movie. I'm not big on action movies as it is, and this was a 'on the edge of your seat' action packed thriller. The intensity of the movie actually made me nauseous at one point and I almost had to get up and leave I got so sick. The movie was just way too long and emotionally as well as physically intense. However, I would VERY gladly suffer through it again simply to watch Ledger's performance. The only good thing about this movie was his performance. I heard that he actually locked himself up in his apartment for quite a while to prepare and it totally shows! He was absolutely crazy! What I LOVED the most were the little things he did. The way he walked, the way he spoke, the way he would lick his lips or cock his head to the side. The way he held himself. Every single thing about him just shouted INSANE MADMAN and I was captivated. His presence held all the insane genius that was expected of him and nobody will ever measure up to that performance. May he rest in peace.
Tom Hanks in Big was a phenomenon. For me to act out a claustrophobic 6yr old on stage is hard enough, but at the age of 32 he has to play a 12yr old which just becoming a teen is hard just being that age. When he layed on the bed in the hotel and curled up to show how afraid he truly was being all alone you knew that he was truly picked for the right part in the movie. He went from acting like a 12yr old with testing toys to showing how everyone grows up when they gave him a promotion and a girlfriend and he wanted nothing more. Until his character realizes missing a childhood is the wrong thing to do because he missed so many things in between.
(approved by miss sundberg for American Gangster)
Then Denzel Washington in American Gangster blew me away. How he can fight for so much in his family from getting his mom a house to live in. Then he shows the darker side by selling pure drugs in this true story. Where if you do something wrong your dead. That's what happen when someone tried cutting into his business Denzel ended it right in the middle of the street straight face with anger of what the man was trying to do by going threw his family to buy in on his territory. Also his honor and seriousness when he pulls Huey aside trying to be like Nicky Bons with his clothes and trying to be flashy and how the family shouldn't look flashy the guilty people look flashy. Also his seriousness if you go after his family he will get you back. Denzel showed he wouldn't back down till the end no matter who gets in his face. He presents himself as invisible even when he knows it's the end of his time as a crime lord in the movie.
CHRISTIE HACKETT = For my film review project, I will be doing Heath Ledger from Dark Knight and Angelina Jolie from Girl, Interrupted.
Firstly, Heath Ledger's performance in Dark Knight was phenomenal. He played the joker, who was a mildly-insane, bloodthirsty sociopath, who had a very traumatic childhood. Ledger's commitment to this role was clearly evident in the many levels he created for the character. The mannerisms of 'the joker' were perfect, i loved the was he was so twitchy and on edge-like all the time, it was like the character himself wasn't even aware of what he would do next. Amazing. Just amazing.
Next, Angelina's preformance as Lisa, (another sociopath with a traumatic backstory) was equally flawless. Angie's commitment is shown through the fluidity of Lisa, she never once wavers, and she firmly establishes a hurt, lonely character, who has become almost heartless and cruel in her struggles with life and morality. I think the key to Angelina's success in this role is her eyes. The look of her eyes is so intense, so strong, in this role that you feel very deeply for the character, Lisa. Personally, Girl, Interrupted is my new favorite movie, and Lisa is my favorite character.
The first film I watched was Silence of the Lambs. In the movie Silence of the Lambs Anthony Hopkins plays the character Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal Lecter is a cannibalistic psychiatrist, and a serial killer. Before even seeing the movie this already seemed like it would be a very in depth character, and a very challenging role to take on. But after the movie I can honestly say that I was really, really impressed. Anthony Hopkins did an amazing job pulling off this role. Every time he had a close up it felt like he was staring right at me, and his stare would always send a chill down my back which is what impressed me the most. Although besides for all of his close ups the scene I was amazed by the cage scene, where he kills the two policemen and makes the angel. Just his whole transition from being completely calm and content, to becoming psychotic and murderous was insane. I was very much left blown away by this film.
The second film I watched was Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a movie in which Tom Hanks plays a man who gets diagnosed with AIDS, and gets fired from his job because of it. Tom Hanks did an outstanding job playing this character, which seemed quite challenging to play. One of the best scenes is in the opening where Tom is crying in the bathroom, it really gave you that feeling where you know something bad is going to happen. But Tom Hanks isn't the only one who did a great job, I believe that Denzel Washington did an equally good job in this movie. In the movie Denzel plays Tom Hank's lawyer, who sympathizes with Tom for being discriminated against because he feels the same way because of his color. So not only did Denzel do an amazing job taking on his role, but he also managed to give the movie a deeper meaning to it rather it just being all about Tom Hanks being discriminated against for having AIDS.
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