I don’t know that I really buy into the idea of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ acting in a film any more than I do making value judgements on specific colors in a painting. Performances are either appropriate or inappropriate based on the context of the film, and the fault generally lies with a director and with casting when an actor gives a performance that is jarring and doesn’t fit well with the film. Plenty of talented directors have used ‘bad’ actors to great effect, and plenty of very talented actors have given terrible performances under directors who were unable to communicate the vision of the film to them, or who let them take over their own direction after cowing to their ‘star-power’.
I always thought the stiff performances in Hal Hartley movies were intentional, and essential to his style, like Antonioni. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit.
Antichrist also made me think of Possession. Isabelle Adjani’s subway freakout is pretty unforgettable. I’ve seen a couple of his other movies, Silver Globe and The most important thing, Love. Neither had the kind of manic energy that Possession had, but that would probably be hard (and unhealthy) to maintain.
Some of the best, most immersive action scenes in any film in the last decade. Any other commercial movie would have had the protagonist pick up a gun and turn it into an audience-coddling videogame. Instead, he does what any of us would have done, he tries his best to stay alive.
I’m IN this movie and parts of it annoy the shit out of me. It was an experiment, bits if were interesting, (I like Caveh Zahedi and Charles Gunning’s scenes and I like a lot of the animation) and a lot just didn’t work in my opinion. It was an interesting experience though, and I wouldn’t exchange that.
Anyway, I haven’t thought much about the film since it came out, but some people asked me about it after it showed up on some 2000’s top lists, so I felt like I would revisit it- and after 10 years I am lukewarm about everything except the animators and their artwork. I think it could have been a lot more subtle and centered. Control was given over to the people who appear in the film, but instead of letting them be themselves, they put on airs because they know they are meant to say something ‘meaningful’.
The only part I had in the making of Scanner was in suggesting to Rick that he make it his next project. They had originally been thinking about Valis, but the rights were problematic. I suggested Scanner because I felt like it was a good balance of humor and sadness, and that what usually gets skipped over in PKD adaptations is his sense of humor.
Well, I don’t talk that much in it, do I? ;)
I think the movie would have held up a lot better for me without the three guys who directly talk about lucid dreaming. I find that whole sequence clumsy and annoying.
Favorite performances by child actors over 2 years ago
Brian Madorsky – Parents
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ANYONE RECOMMEND SOME CLASSIC RUSSIAN SCI FI FILMS?? over 2 years ago
‘To the Stars by Hard Ways’ had its moments:
http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-stars-hard-ways.html
Test Pilot Pirxa is a lot of (mostly unintentional) fun, but I was under the impression it was polish.
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Great films with terrible acting? over 2 years ago
I don’t know that I really buy into the idea of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ acting in a film any more than I do making value judgements on specific colors in a painting. Performances are either appropriate or inappropriate based on the context of the film, and the fault generally lies with a director and with casting when an actor gives a performance that is jarring and doesn’t fit well with the film. Plenty of talented directors have used ‘bad’ actors to great effect, and plenty of very talented actors have given terrible performances under directors who were unable to communicate the vision of the film to them, or who let them take over their own direction after cowing to their ‘star-power’.
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Great films with terrible acting? over 2 years ago
I always thought the stiff performances in Hal Hartley movies were intentional, and essential to his style, like Antonioni. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit.
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Andrzej Zulawski. over 2 years ago
Antichrist also made me think of Possession. Isabelle Adjani’s subway freakout is pretty unforgettable. I’ve seen a couple of his other movies, Silver Globe and The most important thing, Love. Neither had the kind of manic energy that Possession had, but that would probably be hard (and unhealthy) to maintain.
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Children of Men disdain forum over 2 years ago
Some of the best, most immersive action scenes in any film in the last decade. Any other commercial movie would have had the protagonist pick up a gun and turn it into an audience-coddling videogame. Instead, he does what any of us would have done, he tries his best to stay alive.
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Waking Life (Film or Meditation) over 2 years ago
I’m IN this movie and parts of it annoy the shit out of me. It was an experiment, bits if were interesting, (I like Caveh Zahedi and Charles Gunning’s scenes and I like a lot of the animation) and a lot just didn’t work in my opinion. It was an interesting experience though, and I wouldn’t exchange that.
Anyway, I haven’t thought much about the film since it came out, but some people asked me about it after it showed up on some 2000’s top lists, so I felt like I would revisit it- and after 10 years I am lukewarm about everything except the animators and their artwork. I think it could have been a lot more subtle and centered. Control was given over to the people who appear in the film, but instead of letting them be themselves, they put on airs because they know they are meant to say something ‘meaningful’.
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Waking Life (Film or Meditation) about 2 years ago
The only part I had in the making of Scanner was in suggesting to Rick that he make it his next project. They had originally been thinking about Valis, but the rights were problematic. I suggested Scanner because I felt like it was a good balance of humor and sadness, and that what usually gets skipped over in PKD adaptations is his sense of humor.
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Waking Life (Film or Meditation) about 2 years ago
Well, I don’t talk that much in it, do I? ;)
I think the movie would have held up a lot better for me without the three guys who directly talk about lucid dreaming. I find that whole sequence clumsy and annoying.
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