distain
Members Since
Nov 12, 2012
Last Login
May 25, 2018
Game Points
0
Quiz Points
0
Total Points
0
Forum Replies Created
-
-
May 23, 2018 at 2:25 pm #1202552688
No. In terms of technical ability, Gary Oldman is hard to beat.
And frankly, Phoenix (whom I think is terrific) is just a movie actor. You need to use that disclaimer, imho. There’s no way on earth I can consider people like Phoenix or Christian Bale, who have never done professional theatre in their entire careers, to be the most skilled actors working. It’s almost an insult to more fully rounded professionals. Onscreen they work hard to let you see the effort they put into their roles (like Bale and his extreme dieting), but I’m not sure “effort” and “skill” are the same thing.
Take Denzel Washington, whom I regard as the best actor alive. He’s currently performing (and Tony nominated) on Broadway playing the role of Hickey in The Iceman Cometh. One of the most difficult roles in American theatre (particularly as the actor has to undertake a 25 minute monologue towards the end of the play). I don’t believe Phoenix has the “skill” to do that. Or King Lear on stage, which Washington says he’ll do in 5 years. That’s insane skill. Movie acting is full of shortcuts that stage does not allow or forgive.
Shame Gary Oldman hasn’t done stage since the 1980’s as I’d give him more credit if he did, but for skill and accomplishment across mediums while still being at the top of their games, it’s hard to top people like Washington and Ralph Fiennes. Or even older guys like Christopher Plummer. Being an intense, brooding film actor that can brood in different ways on film is not the same thing as commanding film and stage with ease at the highest level.
ReplyMay 15, 2018 at 2:48 pm #1202547671All the Kidman, Blanchett, Lawrence talks are ridiculous. They aren’t getting their 3rd or 2nd any time soon.
The only scenario I can imagine is a veteran riding on a strong enough vehicle and snatch supporting, someone like Sissy Spacek, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Judi Dench etc.
Kidman has a very good chance at winning at the next Oscars, for either supporting or lead. Two baity projects (Boy Erased and Destroyer), with the latter project just being picked up by a quality distributor (Annapurna) for an awards season berth. Kidman has the roles, but she also has the narrative. An incredible “comeback” that’s seen her praised as one of the world’s greatest actresses, sweeping the TV awards season for Big Little Lies in 2017, being named one of TIME magazines 100 most influential people…..Kidman’s very much in the position to win a 2nd pretty easily, as long as the right project sticks a landing.
ReplyMay 15, 2018 at 5:59 am #1202547356I know he didn’t win, but Robert Mitchum deserved Oscar nominations for his iconic villainous performances in The Night of the Hunter and Cape Fear. Even when the Academy loved The Sundowners enough to nominate it for Picture, Director, Deborah Kerr in Lead Actress, Screenplay, and even Glynis Johns in Supporting Actress, Mitchum was still snubbed! He was solid and even emotionally deep at times in The Story of G.I. Joe, but it is weird to me how that will forever go down in history as his only Oscar nomination.
Absolutely. Mitchum’s lack of more consistent Academy acknowledgement was strange, because he was a huge star for decades as well as an excellent actor. Not sure why the Academy never took to him. Maybe he never “played” the game, or they thought he did too many genre films.
ReplyMay 15, 2018 at 5:51 am #1202547355Hanks has just played it too safe as an actor over the course of his career, and I feel that’s lost him some clout/respect within the Actors Branch of the Academy. Even the other Tom (Cruise) who is sometimes maligned and maybe not as talented as Hanks, took more risks with his screen image, before he settled into action man mode.
Hanks doesn’t seem to want to really be anything other than the heroic, all-American archtype or everyman. He may do it very well, but I feel like the Academy expects more from a 5 time nominee and back to back consecutive Best Actor winner.
Except for Cloud Atlas, where he played multiple characters that were very different not only from each other but from the usual nice guy everyman Hanks always plays. Just saying, he and Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, and Hugo Weaving ALL would have been believable Oscar nominees on range alone for their performances in that film. Alas, it turned out to be a divisive film passionately loved and hated by many.
It might have been an honorable attempt to do something different by Hanks, but it was a divisive performance (not just film) that was never going to get him near Oscar in any circumstance. Too many critics found the whole conciet of the entire cast being caked in make-up to play all these characters silly and unconvincing. I recall one review saying they’d never seen so many Oscar winners utilised so badly by a director (referring specifically to Berry and Hanks).
ReplyMay 15, 2018 at 3:53 am #1202547330Hanks has just played it too safe as an actor over the course of his career, and I feel that’s lost him some clout/respect within the Actors Branch of the Academy. Even the other Tom (Cruise) who is sometimes maligned and maybe not as talented as Hanks, took more risks with his screen image, before he settled into action man mode.
Hanks doesn’t seem to want to really be anything other than the heroic, all-American archtype or everyman. He may do it very well, but I feel like the Academy expects more from a 5 time nominee and back to back consecutive Best Actor winner.
ReplyMay 14, 2018 at 4:39 pm #1202547009Do you think Lawrence will go the way of Marsha Mason? Lots of nominations in a span of a decade and then nothing. Of course, most of her nominations were due to being cast in Neil Simon products, which fit her to a T. Maybe David O. Russell is her Neil Simon.
Lawrence is a bigger star than Mason ever was. I think she’ll still find herself in films and positions to get herself nominated again. But the possibility of nothing further exists with her.
ReplyMay 14, 2018 at 4:07 pm #1202546997He is not modeling. He is acting. Why is his looks so important?
For the same reason people are more enthusiastic about Michael B Jordan and Winston Duke over Black Panther and the Get Out guy — looks matter.
Agreed that Get Out guy wasn’t getting much online thirst or lust, compared to the other Wakanda dudes.Though it didn’t help that his character was so unlikable (and not in a charasmatic way, though Kaalua’s acting was good), and his styling was pretty dorky.
Disagree about Chadwick Boseman. He is generating a lot of “enthusiasm” from what I’ve seen online, whether it’s for his looks or general package that comes with being Black Panther. But he’s got a huge female fanbase now, and they think the guy is sexy.
ReplyMay 14, 2018 at 4:01 pm #1202546996I think he’s a pretty good looking guy, myself. He’s not the best looking I’ve ever seen, but he’s far from what some of you are making him out to be.
Judging the trailer and reviews, it’s seems like he’s a good actor and at least got some of his dad’s talent. He’ll probably have a decent career.
The more succesful JDW gets, the more “good looking” he’ll become in the eyes of many people. Fame has a weird magnifying effect like that.There are people out there who think Adam Driver is sexy because he plays Kylo Ren or whatever. If Driver was just some regular dude and not a movie star/actor, he’d just be seen as that goofy looking dude around the neighbourhood.
Still, I think JDW is one of those interesting cases in that he seems to be more telegenic than he is photogenic (wheras his dad is both). He looks much better on camera and in motion than he does in still photos. And since he’s trying to be a movie star, the fact that he’s at least telegenic works in his favor. On film, he looks like a potential movie star to me, judging by that trailer.
ReplyMay 14, 2018 at 11:54 am #1202546826Portman, Kidman and Davis are coming for a 2nd win within the next 5-10 years. I don’t see Cate and Meryl winning their 3rd/4th awards anytime soon (even though they most likely will eventually)
I don’t see JLaw getting a 2nd one.
Lawrence is too popular not to get a second win. They were willing to go consecutive with her.
It’s a hard call with Lawrence. Some people remain Academy favorites more or less for life (ie Streep), while other have a few years of heat with the Academy before the love affair really cools off. Who would have thought Tom Hanks of all people couldn’t even score an Oscar nod in nearly 20 years (and still appearing in films the Academy loves), after being such a favorite.
It could go either way for Lawrence, but I can see her being someone who was hot with the Academy for a period, but struggling with them later.
ReplyMarch 28, 2018 at 1:48 pm #1202520562Extreme praise from Bradley Cooper’s friends (Sean Penn is a buddy of his, and they spend time together) doesn’t mean anything. Penn is doing his job as a friend, which is hyping his buddy’s passion project.
It could be good, but you need to wait for more objective sources to read anything into it.
ReplyMarch 19, 2018 at 11:56 am #1202515772Isn’t Nicole Kidman the obvious answer this question? Keep in mind 2020 is only 2 years away. Kidman has the goodwill, career momentum and the actual slate of upcoming roles to get it done. Destroyer, Boy Erased and The Goldfinch all seem baity to one degree or another. If there’s no one undeniable in her way, and one of the projects get a good enough reception, i think she can coast to a 2nd win.
oh wow, a distain post that isn’t about Denzel? Colour me surprised
You haven’t paid much attention then. Guess you missed my Winslet/Kidman 2nd Oscar thread (for example), which went 8 pages or something. I admit I do enjoy winding this forum up about Denzel since so many people here are so blatantly salty and racist (amazing combo) about him being so beloved by the Academy and his peers and it’s fun to see so many people be wrong and be bitter about it, but I do have others things I enjoy talking about.LOL!
ReplyMarch 19, 2018 at 11:32 am #1202515760Isn’t Nicole Kidman the obvious answer this question?
Keep in mind 2020 is only 2 years away. Kidman has the goodwill, career momentum and the actual slate of upcoming roles to get it done. Destroyer, Boy Erased and The Goldfinch all seem baity to one degree or another. If there’s no one undeniable in her way, and one of the projects get a good enough reception, i think she can coast to a 2nd win.
ReplyFebruary 22, 2018 at 12:20 am #1202498614C’mon. Fisher is 42 year old actress that’s been a B-List comic actress in Hollywood for 14 years. I happen to think Adams is overrated and over-nominated, but the window for Fisher to have a career like Adams is firmly shut. So many factors are against her….her age, that she’s been a known quantity for so long (Hollywood prefers to mint new female A-listers, not promote B/C listers that have been schlepping around town for 15 years).
Could Fisher get an Oscar nomination one day? I suppose so, in the right circumstances (like many actors). But even then, it’s not suddenly going to turn her into some A-lister or perrenial nominee. I think Fisher’s stuck to comedy for so long partially because she lacked confidence in her dramatic skills. Adams would not be where she is to day if she kept doing comedies like Enchanted.
ReplyFebruary 11, 2018 at 12:48 am #1202491582You are either not very smart, or playing dumb. Neither is a major achievement.
Whatever “parrallels” you see in Denzel’s and Oldman’s performance is irrelevant to the actual point that was being made. A technically showy impersonation of an important, recognisable real life person often has particular advantadges with the academy that an original fictionalised character does not, and that would be to Oldman’s advantadge whether or not he was considered overdue. Hoffman was used a a parrallel for a reason. You could also throw in Sean Penn as Harvey Milk vs Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler.
Moving along….
ReplyFebruary 10, 2018 at 10:09 pm #1202491544You may not think it’s worthy or deserving, but performances like Oldman’s win all the damned time without overdue narratives.
You mean like Denzel last year? Oh wait…
Yes, because Denzel in Fences played an important real life historical figure, just like my examples of Hoffman and Oldman….
Oh, that’s right….he didn’t. He played a fictional garbageman from a play adaptation. Fictional Troy from Pittsburgh and Truman Capote and Winston Churchill are not the same thing. It’s dumb to even go there,
I assume you think that was supposed to be some clever retort, but you just come off lacking in intelligence and basic comprehension. No offense.
Reply
