Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by RGA (A) on November 23, 2006 at 06:46:52

In Reply to: At last! Another O & L fan! posted by Harmonia on November 22, 2006 at 11:24:37:

I am not in the Kidman camp either -- I don;t see her as much other than a "star"

I don't mind "stars" though -- that is why I defend Julia Roberts. There is nothing wrong with a personae and often times the actors are typecast into doing certain things over and over and they are said to be one note performers -- some are of course but I think many stars get unfairly knocked when they're much better than the slagging they get on forums. Sure Emily Watson is a better actress than Julia Roberts and sure it may frustrate some that Julia makes a kabillion dollars more for playing "safer" romantic comedies but that is just the way it is.

And after watching Ralph Fiennes in Maid in Manhatten and in films like Schindler's List, Sunshine, and Spider -- he said the romantic comedy is the hardest thing to pull off and gave a lot of credit to people like Cary Grant. Of these films he was easily the worst in Maid in Manhatten. The main problem is not him or the actors in such miscast roles...but actor's actors need deep characters or in the case of Amon Goethe deep psychological issues or political juiciness to play. Give Fiennes a cardboard cutout cartoon character like that in a dimbulb romatic comedy and he has nothing to work with.

Conversely a Jack Nicholson who mostly shows up as Jack Nicholson has such overpowering personae that he can simply be Jack and that can get him through dysmally written characters.

Drama is easy comedy is hard. Jodie Foster is considered a great actress on the backs of films like Silence of the Lambs, the accused, Taxi Driver but IMO when she truly showed me she could act was in the movie Maverick.