Hmmm....well I was gonna reply to your previous post Byrnzie and tell you that I completely agree with you about books. There's nothing better than being able to lose yourself in a good book. And take a little mental trip along with the author.
However, I'm hoping you'll qualify this remark please, and say that you are speaking about the majority of film actors I presume? Particularly the current Hollywood generation?
Because fact is Byrnzie, we are all actors, even you.
And a good actor, particularly those in theatre, can be the medium between the writer and the audience that truly brings the words to life. A good actor can make you feel, help you to see, offer you understanding, a good actor can make you laugh and make you weep. A good actor can breathe life into text and character. A good actor can completely engage you in the story being told. I would say that you haven't spent enough time around good acting.
You could be right. It's just that it's very rarely an actor strikes me as being very interesting. Brando's one exception...I'm struggling to think of another. I'm sure there's more. They just aren't springing immediately to mind. I'm not saying I don't have respect for actors. I just think by and large, they're overrated.
It's about finding a balance. I did most of my reading between the age of 18 - 21. Probably read a book a week, sometimes two. You tend to slow down a bit though - I think most people would agree. I've heard many writers say that there comes a time when you just don't read anymore. There is an element of 'burn-out' to reading. So, yeah, personally, I hit my peak back then. Now it takes me a looong time to finish a book, and I'm more easily distracted. Still, I'll never place a film on a level above a good book, or even on the same level. A film director is someone who merely adapts someone else's ideas into another medium. An actor is on an even lesser level in my opinion. I think actors are the most over-rated people on this earth.
Anyway, end of rant.
i agree and disagee with you on this steve. there are some marvellous interpretters out there. and there are some just flat out crap actors and actresses. when you think of ian mckellen, russell crowe, judy dench, cate blanchett, edward norton, meryl streep and others of their ilk, they transport you and have you totally believing in their performance. i used to be a huge filmgoer but ive lost interest over the years cause there is so much crap and the majority of it fails to engage me. then there are those actors and actresses who are more about personality(or lack thereof) and celebrity than talent. and unfortunately it is those that we tend to be more exposed to.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
You could be right. It's just that it's very rarely an actor strikes me as being very interesting. Brando's one exception...I'm struggling to think of another. I'm sure there's more. They just aren't springing immediately to mind. I'm not saying I don't have respect for actors. I just think by and large, they're overrated.
How bout Ed Norton?
Or Geoffrey Rush?
That's just a couple that spring to mind. Not always in choice vehicles for their talents, but certainly intriguing in their interpretations.
I guess I've been spoiled by theatre, in particular community theatre projects, of recent years. A brilliant actor makes you forget who they are and all that you've seen them do before. A brilliant actor can just transport you into the story. They are just a tool of the writer and a medium for the story. The paintbrush if you will.
I would agree of course that a lot of actors are over rated. And certainly some of them are obscenely over paid. I find the whole Hollywood machine to be particularly offensive. But a lot of good indie and art films have some excellent acting in them. And particular perfomances, particular scenes by some actors are still highly worthy of merit.
How bout Ed Norton?
Or Geoffrey Rush?
That's just a couple that spring to mind. Not always in choice vehicles for their talents, but certainly intriguing in their interpretations.
I guess I've been spoiled by theatre, in particular community theatre projects, of recent years. A brilliant actor makes you forget who they are and all that you've seen them do before. A brilliant actor can just transport you into the story. They are just a tool of the writer and a medium for the story. The paintbrush if you will.
I would agree of course that a lot of actors are over rated. And certainly some of them are obscenely over paid. I find the whole Hollywood machine to be particularly offensive. But a lot of good indie and art films have some excellent acting in them. And particular perfomances, particular scenes by some actors are still highly worthy of merit.
I do like Ed Norton, yeah. And Ben Kingsley. And Danny Huston. And Chris Walken, Vince Vaughn I bet would be a great drinking buddy. E.t.c, I could go on. But like Cat said above, we're all actors in our own way. I'm just not overly impressed, like I can be with a writer or musician/songwriter.
I do like Ed Norton, yeah. And Ben Kingsley. And Danny Huston. And Chris Walken, Vince Vaughn I bet would be a great drinking buddy. E.t.c, I could go on. But like Cat said above, we're all actors in our own way. I'm just not overly impressed, like I can be with a writer or musician/songwriter.
jeanie said that.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
That's great stuff! In my opinion, that's what kids need more of in their lives. Imagination and the freedom to let their imaginations take them wherever they want to go.
I do like Ed Norton, yeah. And Ben Kingsley. And Danny Huston. And Chris Walken, Vince Vaughn I bet would be a great drinking buddy. E.t.c, I could go on. But like Cat said above, we're all actors in our own way. I'm just not overly impressed, like I can be with a writer or musician/songwriter.
I was gonna mention Chris Walken. How amazing is that scene in True Romance between him and Dennis Hopper? Now that is some damn fine acting.
Not to mention the Patricia Arquette/James Gandolfino scene. Pretty ridiculous premise for a movie, but Tarantino did write it and he is imaginative!!
I guess you are more of a words person. And that's cool. I love words, but I also love speaking, and hearing and seeing. I love watching the whole of a collaboration. Seeing the interpretation.
Did you get a copy of that book btw? Emergency Sex?
I was gonna mention Chris Walken. How amazing is that scene in True Romance between him and Dennis Hopper? Now that is some damn fine acting.
Not to mention the Patricia Arquette/James Gandolfino scene. Pretty ridiculous premise for a movie, but Tarantino did write it and he is imaginative!!
I guess you are more of a words person. And that's cool. I love words, but I also love speaking, and hearing and seeing. I love watching the whole of a collaboration. Seeing the interpretation.
Did you get a copy of that book btw? Emergency Sex?
That book. Ahh, not yet. I've got quite a few to plough through first. As for being 'a words person'...hmm, not really. I hated 'The Royal Tenenbaums', and I didn't like 'Pulp Fiction' either. Too wordy. I prefer films like 'Dead Man', or 'Ivans XTC', or 'The Proposition', or like 'Lust for life'. Long silences are my thing. People talk too much.
I still think my favourite scene from any film is the part in 'The Deer Hunter' where De Niro returns to his home town and tells the cab driver to drive past his house where the welcome home party is going on. He goes to a motel room and just sits on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. That scene speaks more than any dialogue I've ever heard.
A similar thing in 'Cool hand Luke' where Paul Newman hears that his Mother's died. No words are spoken. He just returns to the prison dorm and sits on his bed and plays his guitar. Beautiful. That scene alone kicks a million dialogues into the kerb.
I guess you are more of a words person. And that's cool. I love words, but I also love speaking, and hearing and seeing. I love watching the whole of a collaboration. Seeing the interpretation.
without words what do we have?
im a words person myself. i visualise inside my own head. and there is nothing better than that when reading.
this week though my english prof asked us how we approach poetry. and because every dullard in the class immediately stared at their shoes i spoke up(i know, i know a shocker. ) i said i read them out loud. and probably do so cause i like the sound of my own voice. which sounds like ego talking but its not. its more than that. its about phrasing and intonation. its about feeling what it is youre reading. there's nothing worse than having to listen to someone read who doesnt know how to do it. who thinks its a chore to do so.
i think having to watch actors convey to us some other world and do it convincingly, is tedious if they're crap at it. a pretty face does not an actor make.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
I buy books monthly. I love reading. I read a lot of English books so I can learn more about sentence structure, collocations, colloquialisms, syntax and idioms.
I still think my favourite scene from any film is the part in 'The Deer Hunter' where De Niro returns to his home town and tells the cab driver to drive past his house where the welcome home party is going on. He goes to a motel room and just sits on the edge of the bed with his heads in his hands. That scene speaks more than any dialogue I've ever heard.
. I'm just not overly impressed, like I can be with a writer or musician/songwriter
There's a reason why De Niro is so famous, or Pacino... it takes great skill. It doesn't really look difficult but it is. Watch a soap opera and imagine one of these actors in De Niro's role in the Deer Hunter...
I buy books monthly. I love reading. I read a lot of English books so I can learn more about sentence structure, collocations, colloquialisms, syntax and idioms.
And I also like a good story, of course.
There's a reason why De Niro is so famous, or Pacino... it takes great skill. It doesn't really look difficult but it is. Watch a soap opera and imagine one of these actors in De Niro's role in the Deer Hunter...
O.k, you may have a point. Although is the fact that De Niro is such a great actor because he is an interesting, creative person? I don't know. I suspect that a lot of so called 'great' actors are able to so easily fill the boots of another character is because they don't have much character themselves. I distinctly remember one British film critic say that he met and interviewed De Niro and found him to be a bore.
Still, I appreciate your point.
O.k, you may have a point. Although is the fact that De Niro is such a great actor because he is an interesting, creative person? I don't know. I suspect that a lot of so called 'great' actors are able to so easily fill the boots of another character is because they don't have much character themselves. I distinctly remember one British film critic say that he met and interviewed De Niro and found him to be a bore.
Still, I appreciate your point.
yes but that british film critic was probably a pompous arse.
and just maybe de niro is a shy person who doesn't especially enjoy talking about himself.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
yes but that british film critic was probably a pompous arse.
and just maybe de niro is a shy person who doesn't especially enjoy talking about himself.
Books are too slow for todays world... it takes a few days (or weeks or months) to read a book... but only a couple of hours to watch a film and get pretty much the same story.
i heard on the radio today that there are only 2 major papers in the US that still has a regular book section ... the NY Times and the Washington Post ...
it's kind of scary - times they are a changing every day of every month ... we get our information through different sources now - but, books are critical ... they are the keyhole to our souls - stories are still some of the best ways for us to connect with the world and lives around us ...
why don't we care about books anymore?
It seems ironic that I should be recommending this, online, but read this. It is an interesting historical parallel, if not a foreshadowing, of our debate right here. It's also one of my favourite books:
It seems ironic that I should be recommending this, online, but read this. It is an interesting historical parallel, if not a foreshadowing, of our debate right here. It's also one of my favourite books:
I love reading books. I go through cycles where I seem simply seem to consume books in the span of weeks and where I may not pick up a book for another month after having read four in three weeks. I love seeing movies for mindless entertainment to the same degree I do in the reading of books. not always what I am looking for but somtimes just good fun
I love after finishing a book to share ideas and maybe even drinks across the sofa and discuss all of that...to me that could be the perfect day
as for actors well they all become actors because of some inherit flaw no? but Ed Norton does seem to be the cat's pyjamas??? brilliant and beautiful... but which came first???
I love reading books. I go through cycles where I seem simply seem to consume books in the span of weeks and where I may not pick up a book for another month after having read four in three weeks. I love seeing movies for mindless entertainment to the same degree I do in the reading of books. not always what I am looking for but somtimes just good fun
I love after finishing a book to share ideas and maybe even drinks across the sofa and discuss all of that...to me that could be the perfect day
as for actors well they all become actors because of some inherit flaw no? but Ed Norton does seem to be the cat's pyjamas??? brilliant and beautiful... but which came first???
maybe I am just drunk.....
stb
Seems to me you're thinking pretty clearly.
I mean Ed Norton really is something to see and I'm stone cold sober!!!
And besides, I completely agree with you about books! Amongst other things!
Seems to me you're thinking pretty clearly
I mean Ed Norton really is something to see and I'm stone cold sober!!!
And besides, I completely agree with you about books! Amongst other things!
Thanks, J!!
Probably not a great movie but Ed was BRILLIANT in Primal Fear... actually he is brilliant in all he does... American History X..WOW... just WOW.. no words can really express it. I still remember that moment when I realized the kerb scene :eek: :(
I actually enjoyed Primal Fear..
Books though.. even if you are reading fluff(well good fluff), you are still learning
That book. Ahh, not yet. I've got quite a few to plough through first. As for being 'a words person'...hmm, not really. I hated 'The Royal Tenenbaums', and I didn't like 'Pulp Fiction' either. Too wordy. I prefer films like 'Dead Man', or 'Ivans XTC', or 'The Proposition', or like 'Lust for life'. Long silences are my thing. People talk too much.
I still think my favourite scene from any film is the part in 'The Deer Hunter' where De Niro returns to his home town and tells the cab driver to drive past his house where the welcome home party is going on. He goes to a motel room and just sits on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. That scene speaks more than any dialogue I've ever heard.
A similar thing in 'Cool hand Luke' where Paul Newman hears that his Mother's died. No words are spoken. He just returns to the prison dorm and sits on his bed and plays his guitar. Beautiful. That scene alone kicks a million dialogues into the kerb.
I know the feeling Byrnzie! I've got a bedside book queue myself!
I'm moving on to The World from Islam by George Negus next, and I'll probably start reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins at the same time. Just coz I suspect my concentration won't be so good. Oh and if my sister in law ever finishes it, I must read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne just to know what all the fuss is about.
If you like movies with little talking then how about "Into Great Silence"?
"It’s a documentary 2¾ hours long depicting life inside the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. It’s the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order which is a silent order."
I couldn't stand the Royal Tenenbaums and I'm still wondering what all the fuss was about with Pulp Fiction. It was ok, but I really liked True Romance better.
I must see The Proposition! I meant to when it came out, but like most movies, it'll be relegated to DVD. I haven't seen The Deer Hunter. I'm not a huge De Niro fan. But I have seen Cool Hand Luke, several times, it's an amazing movie and I must be just about due for a repeat, it's been a while. I love the scene with the hard boiled eggs. And that amazing line,"What we have here is a failure to communicate." Love that movie.
Anyway, I'm talking too much!
im a words person myself. i visualise inside my own head. and there is nothing better than that when reading.
this week though my english prof asked us how we approach poetry. and because every dullard in the class immediately stared at their shoes i spoke up(i know, i know a shocker. ) i said i read them out loud. and probably do so cause i like the sound of my own voice. which sounds like ego talking but its not. its more than that. its about phrasing and intonation. its about feeling what it is youre reading. there's nothing worse than having to listen to someone read who doesnt know how to do it. who thinks its a chore to do so.
i think having to watch actors convey to us some other world and do it convincingly, is tedious if they're crap at it. a pretty face does not an actor make.
Oh I'm with you cate!! I can't even begin to understand poetry unless I read it aloud. And as for scripts, or plays, I'm lost if I can't have a read through.
We had so much poetry recited around the house as kids, I've always loved to hear it spoken, as much as singing. Lots of recitation went on.
And I think that's why I do ok with reading aloud. That and the fact that Mum always read to us. And the Grannies of course. And I've been reading myself since I was quite small. Used to snuggle up in the corner of the couch in the little sunshine spot and read books and eat apples. Was just dreamy. Listening to people struggle to read aloud or deliver lines is as excrutiating to me sometimes as nails on a chalkboard!! :eek: And I feel sad for people not having that skill. Maybe it's the Irish ancestry in us cate. We love the verbal storytelling.
Oh I'm with you cate!! I can't even begin to understand poetry unless I read it aloud. And as for scripts, or plays, I'm lost if I can't have a read through.
We had so much poetry recited around the house as kids, I've always loved to hear it spoken, as much as singing. Lots of recitation went on.
And I think that's why I do ok with reading aloud. That and the fact that Mum always read to us. And the Grannies of course. And I've been reading myself since I was quite small. Used to snuggle up in the corner of the couch in the little sunshine spot and read books and eat apples. Was just dreamy. Listening to people struggle to read aloud or deliver lines is as excrutiating to me sometimes as nails on a chalkboard!! :eek: And I feel sad for people not having that skill. Maybe it's the Irish ancestry in us cate. We love the verbal storytelling.
to be sure.
hear my name
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Comments
You could be right. It's just that it's very rarely an actor strikes me as being very interesting. Brando's one exception...I'm struggling to think of another. I'm sure there's more. They just aren't springing immediately to mind. I'm not saying I don't have respect for actors. I just think by and large, they're overrated.
i agree and disagee with you on this steve. there are some marvellous interpretters out there. and there are some just flat out crap actors and actresses. when you think of ian mckellen, russell crowe, judy dench, cate blanchett, edward norton, meryl streep and others of their ilk, they transport you and have you totally believing in their performance. i used to be a huge filmgoer but ive lost interest over the years cause there is so much crap and the majority of it fails to engage me. then there are those actors and actresses who are more about personality(or lack thereof) and celebrity than talent. and unfortunately it is those that we tend to be more exposed to.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
How bout Ed Norton?
Or Geoffrey Rush?
That's just a couple that spring to mind. Not always in choice vehicles for their talents, but certainly intriguing in their interpretations.
I guess I've been spoiled by theatre, in particular community theatre projects, of recent years. A brilliant actor makes you forget who they are and all that you've seen them do before. A brilliant actor can just transport you into the story. They are just a tool of the writer and a medium for the story. The paintbrush if you will.
I would agree of course that a lot of actors are over rated. And certainly some of them are obscenely over paid. I find the whole Hollywood machine to be particularly offensive. But a lot of good indie and art films have some excellent acting in them. And particular perfomances, particular scenes by some actors are still highly worthy of merit.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
I do like Ed Norton, yeah. And Ben Kingsley. And Danny Huston. And Chris Walken, Vince Vaughn I bet would be a great drinking buddy. E.t.c, I could go on. But like Cat said above, we're all actors in our own way. I'm just not overly impressed, like I can be with a writer or musician/songwriter.
jeanie said that.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Whoops! Sorry Jeanie!
I completely agree tree.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
thanks cate!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
That's ok byrnzie, I was actually sitting here getting confused and then wondering how I could correct it without sounding like a total tool!!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
I was gonna mention Chris Walken.
Not to mention the Patricia Arquette/James Gandolfino scene. Pretty ridiculous premise for a movie, but Tarantino did write it and he is imaginative!!
I guess you are more of a words person.
Did you get a copy of that book btw? Emergency Sex?
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
That book. Ahh, not yet. I've got quite a few to plough through first. As for being 'a words person'...hmm, not really. I hated 'The Royal Tenenbaums', and I didn't like 'Pulp Fiction' either. Too wordy. I prefer films like 'Dead Man', or 'Ivans XTC', or 'The Proposition', or like 'Lust for life'. Long silences are my thing. People talk too much.
I still think my favourite scene from any film is the part in 'The Deer Hunter' where De Niro returns to his home town and tells the cab driver to drive past his house where the welcome home party is going on. He goes to a motel room and just sits on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. That scene speaks more than any dialogue I've ever heard.
A similar thing in 'Cool hand Luke' where Paul Newman hears that his Mother's died. No words are spoken. He just returns to the prison dorm and sits on his bed and plays his guitar. Beautiful. That scene alone kicks a million dialogues into the kerb.
without words what do we have?
im a words person myself. i visualise inside my own head. and there is nothing better than that when reading.
this week though my english prof asked us how we approach poetry. and because every dullard in the class immediately stared at their shoes i spoke up(i know, i know a shocker.
i think having to watch actors convey to us some other world and do it convincingly, is tedious if they're crap at it. a pretty face does not an actor make.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
And I also like a good story, of course.
There's a reason why De Niro is so famous, or Pacino... it takes great skill. It doesn't really look difficult but it is. Watch a soap opera and imagine one of these actors in De Niro's role in the Deer Hunter...
naděje umírá poslední
O.k, you may have a point. Although is the fact that De Niro is such a great actor because he is an interesting, creative person? I don't know. I suspect that a lot of so called 'great' actors are able to so easily fill the boots of another character is because they don't have much character themselves. I distinctly remember one British film critic say that he met and interviewed De Niro and found him to be a bore.
Still, I appreciate your point.
yes but that british film critic was probably a pompous arse.
and just maybe de niro is a shy person who doesn't especially enjoy talking about himself.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Possibly.
For fuck's sake.
There's more life in a book than there is in a pub full of wankers.
It seems ironic that I should be recommending this, online, but read this. It is an interesting historical parallel, if not a foreshadowing, of our debate right here. It's also one of my favourite books:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Grub_Street
Interesting. Is there any parallel with Martin Amis' 'The Information'?
When you read New Grub Street, you'll know the answer!
I'll make a point of doing so. Thanks.
You mean: 'We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families'?
Yeah. Harrowing stuff. Incredible piece of journalism though.
I love after finishing a book to share ideas and maybe even drinks across the sofa and discuss all of that...to me that could be the perfect day
as for actors well they all become actors because of some inherit flaw no? but Ed Norton does seem to be the cat's pyjamas??? brilliant and beautiful... but which came first???
maybe I am just drunk.....
stb
Seems to me you're thinking pretty clearly.
I mean Ed Norton really is something to see and I'm stone cold sober!!!
And besides, I completely agree with you about books! Amongst other things!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Thanks, J!!
Probably not a great movie but Ed was BRILLIANT in Primal Fear... actually he is brilliant in all he does... American History X..WOW... just WOW.. no words can really express it. I still remember that moment when I realized the kerb scene :eek: :(
I actually enjoyed Primal Fear..
Books though.. even if you are reading fluff(well good fluff), you are still learning
I know the feeling Byrnzie! I've got a bedside book queue myself!
I'm moving on to The World from Islam by George Negus next, and I'll probably start reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins at the same time. Just coz I suspect my concentration won't be so good. Oh and if my sister in law ever finishes it, I must read The Secret by Rhonda Byrne just to know what all the fuss is about.
If you like movies with little talking then how about "Into Great Silence"?
"It’s a documentary 2¾ hours long depicting life inside the Grande Chartreuse monastery in the French Alps. It’s the mother house of the legendary Carthusian Order which is a silent order."
Here's a link that tells a little bit more about it.
http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1910423.htm
I couldn't stand the Royal Tenenbaums and I'm still wondering what all the fuss was about with Pulp Fiction. It was ok, but I really liked True Romance better.
I must see The Proposition! I meant to when it came out, but like most movies, it'll be relegated to DVD. I haven't seen The Deer Hunter. I'm not a huge De Niro fan. But I have seen Cool Hand Luke, several times, it's an amazing movie and I must be just about due for a repeat, it's been a while. I love the scene with the hard boiled eggs. And that amazing line,"What we have here is a failure to communicate." Love that movie.
Anyway, I'm talking too much!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Oh I'm with you cate!! I can't even begin to understand poetry unless I read it aloud. And as for scripts, or plays, I'm lost if I can't have a read through.
We had so much poetry recited around the house as kids, I've always loved to hear it spoken, as much as singing. Lots of recitation went on.
And I think that's why I do ok with reading aloud. That and the fact that Mum always read to us. And the Grannies of course. And I've been reading myself since I was quite small. Used to snuggle up in the corner of the couch in the little sunshine spot and read books and eat apples.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
to be sure.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say