Tag: Actors

Movie Review: “Beyond the Sea”

Emma2 Comments

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Yes, Kevin Spacey (who plays Bobby Darin) sings ALL the songs in this movie.  (He’s a VERY good singer!)  He also wears several hairpieces (just as Darin did) and had his nose made bigger and broader (via clever makeup).  Spacey also directed, co-wrote, and produced this picture; he spent 5 years on the entire process.  Bobby Darin (real name: Walden Robert Cassuto) was one of Spacey’s fave singers growing up. 

Darin was a sickly boy from a working-class Bronx family who had a love for music and performing.  (There is an adorable child actor who plays the young Bobby!)  His mother Polly (Brenda Blethyn), a former performer herself, knew that he would someday be “bigger than Sinatra.”    It’s an unusual biography- not the typical format.

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Above is a pic of Mary (tall and gorgeous Brit/Italian Greta Scacchi) with her daughter, Sandra Dee (young/up-and-coming Brit Kate Bosworth).  Sandy was an actress, and teen idol, who Bobby fell for while shooting a film in Italy.  They had a long, though sometimes dramatic, marriage. 

Darin’s brother-in-law (the great Brit character actor Bob Hoskins) and older sister also journey with the young man from “rags to riches.”  John Goodman plays the music producer who motivates and manages Darin’s career.

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Here are the REAL Bobby and Sandy; they worked to overcome their “teen dream” public personas and be taken as serious performers. 

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There are several song and dance numbers in Beyond the Sea, reminding you of ’40s musicals.   These will put a smile on your face!  Spacey, always an interesting actor to watch (Seven, A Time to Kill, American Beauty, etc.), seems to relate very well to his character.  Like Darin, he loves performing live and connecting with an audience.  Also, Spacey enjoys acting, and always looks like he’s thinking about his character. 

Below are the songs (available on iTunes) I especially liked from the movie soundtrack:

As Long As I’m Singing

Beyond the Sea

Dream Lover

That’s All

Movie Review: Masterpiece Theater’s “Wuthering Heights”

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This young lady (Emily Bronte) wrote one of the most scandalous books of her time!  (Some consider it a pretty outrageous book in our time, too.)  She was the daughter of a clergyman, rarely left home, never married, and died at age 30.

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Here is a portrait of Emily painted by her older brother, Bramwell.  Many literary experts think that Bramwell was the inspiration for the charater of Heathcliff.  Bramwell was much more a person of the world than his sisters (Charlotte, Emily and Anne); he was said to have a hot temper, drink heavily, and gamble.

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Emily’s Heathcliff, unlike Charlotte’s Mr. Rochester (Jane Eyre), is not merely a brooding romantic hero who can be turned around by a good woman.  Healthcliff is an anti-hero- more like a force of nature than a man.  When Cathy lies ill and pregnant in this latest ITV adaptation, she begs Nelly (the ever-loyal housekeeper) to throw open the windows.  She wants to feel the wind upon her- feel close to Heathcliff.

This adaptation is not very close to the book, but it has several strong points.  The music suits the mood of the story very well.  The use of unknown actors works well, as we have no preconceived notions of what we’ll see.  As characters changed over time, and the actors’ portrayals became more believable.

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Heathcliff, in deed, stands unredeemed.  -Charlotte Bronte

Tom Hardy, though not conventionally handsome, makes an excellent Heathcliff.  This Healthcliff is “very changeable” (like Mr. Rochester), but filled to the brim w/ rage.  Hardy is somehow able to make the audience feel some empathy with him at crucial times in the story.  I especially enjoyed these scenes: Heathcliff coming to tea after Cathy and Edgar Linton’s marriage, confronting her on the moors after she’s been w/ Edgar, and holding/comforting the nearly-dead Cathy at the crag.

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Tom Hardy does a lot of acting with his eyes and facial expressions, as Healthcliff is a mysterious man.  But he’s also able to say the dialogue with conviction.  The low/deep voice he uses makes you lean forward and pay attention.  He created good chemistry with Cathy (Charlotte Riley), but I felt he was a much stronger actor.  He’s older and has had much more experience.  (While I watched him, I thought of Gene Hackman, another actor who is very masculine, intense, and able to stay in the moment.)

Burn Gorman, an actor you may’ve seen in Bleak House, did a terrific job as the depressed, unstable, and alcoholic Hindley.  The young lady who played little Catherine (Cathy’s daughter) did very well also; she was full of her mother’s curiosity and energy.  Edgar was handsome, likeable, but weak (as in the book).

There were many things different from Bronte’s book, most notably Healthcliff shooting himself.  Also, no one mentions that Healthcilff might be Mr. Earnshaw’s son by a Liverpool whore.  There is no way to be certain that he and Cathy “hooked up” at the crag (as plainly shown/said in Part I).  Could it have happened?  As my mom said- yes, but people didn’t state these things explicitly then.   Heathcliff doesn’t physically abuse wife Isabella, though he says hurtful things and neglects her.

What didn’t work was the scene where Cathy confesses to Nelly her feelings for both Edgar and Heathcliff.  The actress didn’t put too much emphasis on these important lines.  Before he rode off, Healthcliff was supposed to hear part of her speech (Edgar wants to marry her, it would degrade her to marry a “servant”, and so on.)  But in this film, Healthcliff goes off while she starts talking about Edgar.  Too bad- missed opportunity for the director!

Ultimately, Heathcliff and Cathy’s love was obsessive and destructive.  Cathy was torn between Heathcliff (passion/uncertainty) and Edgar (wealth/respectability).  Because of his tortured past, Heathcliff was “more full of hate than love,” as Cathy says.  He wanted revenge so badly that he nearly destroyed the younger generation.  When he came back a rich gentleman, Healthcliff was unable to rid himself of his emotional baggage.  He was his own worst enemy!

Emma’s HOT List

Emma17 Comments

I have created my own list of hotties.  (Warning: Some are SUPER-HOT!)  Some are rising stars, while others  have been making their mark in TV/film/etc., for years.  Not only are these gents good-looking, they’re good actors!

Aaron Eckhart 

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He’s not just Two Face, but an actor of MANY faces and facets.  Aaron grew up in Cali,  was raised Mormon, and attended BYU (where he met director and close pal, Neil LaBute.)  They both come from a similar background, and have collaborated often.  LaBute operates outside the mainstream, working on topics he likes.   Aaron is  unafraid to take on unusual projects; he’s gained lbs. and changed his hair/looks for many roles.

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This is a screen shot from Possession (one of my fave films of ALL time!)   In it Aaron plays an underappreciated American researcher (post-PhD) in London who happens upon a JUICY secret (at least in the field of Romantic poetry).  He joins up w/ an icy Brit Womens Studies prof (Paltrow) to get more info…   Too bad no REAL poetry experts look like him- LOL!!!

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I smile a lot in public because I tend to look too serious. 
Adrian Lester

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Wow, check out those EYES!!!  Like many performers of the “old days”, Adrian Lester can sing, dance, AND act onstage and onscreen.  He’s a BIG talent (physically, too- he’s around 6’4″) who has a rather soft voice.

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After I saw him in Primary Colors, I wondered why he wasn’t in more (big) films.  Fans of the bard can check him out in Branagh’s musical film Love’s Labour Lost and As You Like It.   His smile is VERY sweet!

Chiwetel Ejiofor 

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With a (Nigerian) name like that- you’re gonna have a nickname (Chewy)!  This young actor (under 35) can pretty much play ANY part, as the song goes.  He’s done Shakespeare (screen/satge), played a transvestite (Kinky Boots), and acted opposite Denzel (Inside Man / American Ganster)!

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He made a HUGE impression w/ Dirty Pretty Things, a smart, sensitive view of immigrant, working-class London.  He played a Nigerian immigrant (and former doc) who worked days driving a cab and nights at a hotel.  Chewy based this character partly on his OWN immigrant father (who was a real-life doc).  Unfortunately, he lost his father in a car accident when he was 11 y.o.  The scars on his forehead are a reminder of that.

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He disappears into roles like few other actors can, which makes him valuable to any film, but it also makes it difficult for him to become a star. 

I enjoy every role that I’ve seen him perform. His acting seems effortless and his interaction with colleagues is a beautifully timed dance.

A superb artist and I believe he will win that Oscar one day. A magnificent actor!

-Fan comments from IMDB

Christian Bale

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Welsh-born Bale has appeared in Shakespeare, dramas and comedies demonstrating a versatility, depth and range that has made him one of the best reviewed actors today and one of the most popular actors on the Internet.

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Though born in Wales, he calls himself British (as he didn’t grow up in Wales).  Christian grew up onscreen; his 1st movie role was at age 14 in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun.  He trained for 10 weeks in dancing and martial arts for the dance sequences in Newsies (1992) and Swing Kids (1993).   

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Since it’s holiday season, check out Little Women w/ Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, and Kristen Dunst.

An actor should never be larger than the film he’s in.  

–Spin magazine, March 1996
I only sound intelligent when there’s a good scriptwriter around.  

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In American Psycho, Christian tackles a very, very EVIL businessman consumed w/ his own desires.

It’s the actors who are prepared to make fools of themselves who are usually the ones who come to mean something to the audience.

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I don’t think I was particularly in need of superheroes. I never had any fascination with Superman or Spider-Man or a Batman kind of character. If it happened at all, it was imagined characters that I had invented. My dad was a role model for me. He was a fascinating man. There was intrigue and entertainment growing up with him. He gave me an edict that I still pursue: Life should never be boring.
Denzel Washington

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Man gives you the award, but God gives you the reward.
To keep him out of trouble, Denzel’s parents sent him to The Boys and Girls Club; he’s now one of their spokespeople.  A couple of weeks ago, I saw Denzel’s first film, a comedy called Carbon Copy (opposite George Segal).  Not only did he look in FAB shape, he was confident and easy with the lines, actions, etc.  When Denzel is attached to a film, people all over the world take notice.  Some guys just have the “it” factor!   

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Did you know one of Denzel’s twins, Katia, is now at Yale university?

On Oprah, Julia Roberts commented that “working with Denzel (on The Pelican Brief) was like working with The Beatles.”  Dir. Ed Zwick uses a lot of close-ups on him, because “even when he’s not saying anything, the audience is looking at him.”  His wife in Crimson Tide, Vanessa Bell-Calloway, told People that “Denzel has wit, style, and intelligence.”  But the coolest thing about this big Hollywood success is that he’s willing to help young actors!
Dylan McDermott

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My theory about actors is we’re all walking milk cartons.  Expirations dates everywhere.

After a very troubled childhood/family life, Dylan and his lil sis were adopted by his step-mom (actress/writer/feminist icon Eve Ensler).  She encouraged him to go to acting school and Fordham.   She also turned his life around.   He had become a hard drinker and was constantly in fights. At age 23, he quit drinking.  He also changed his name from Mark to Dylan in tribute to Eve.

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This is a shot from The Mistress of Spices– a terrible film I suffered through just to see Dylan.  In order to NOT alienate her Bollywood fans, Aishwarya Rai DID NOT kiss Dylan on the lips in Gurinder Chadha’s rom com film.  Boy, talk about missed opportunity! 

Hugh Dancy 

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In Elizabeth I, a great UK miniseries I previously wrote about, Hugh goes toe-to-toe w/ Jeremy Irons and Helen Mirren.  Not bad for a guy just who’s just 33! 

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Who better to rescue a damsel in distress?  LOL… Daniel Deronda is about a young man- sensitive, caring, and highly intelligent, but haunted by doubts about his identity.  Is he a British gentleman like his adopted father?  And why is he drawn to the Jewish faith?

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Hugh is not just a pretty face; he graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature & Language and speaks French fluently. 

My dad is an academic but there was never any question of me following on that route. I’m thick.

Ioan Gruffudd

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Isn’t he looking sophisticated in this pic?  Ioan starred in Amazing Grace, and had a bit part (as Tony Blair) in Oliver Stone’s W.  He’s done TV, historical stuff, action- you name it!  An interesting fact about Ioan is that his first language was Welsh; he’s a bilingual, multicultural guy.   

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You don’t need blue eyes to be a hottie- warm brown ones can work, too.  Did you know Ioan starred on a TV show (Horatio Hornblower) a few years back?  It’s now sold in the US.  You may have seen him in Wilde opposite Stephen Fry; he had gorgeous long hair then!

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I’m looking forward to seeing one of his (older) films- Solomon and Gaenor.  It’s a youthful love story between a Jewish boy and a Catholic girl in Ireland. 

Jimmy Smits

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Where else can you find cheekbones like that!?  His height and striking looks (his heritage is Puerto Rican) make him a major presence onscreen.  Jimmy Smits has been making his mark since the late 1980s, when he was cast on LA Law.  Too bad he didn’t take the offer to star in CSI: Miami.  (I’d rather watch him than David Caruso ANY day!)  He grew up in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Brooklyn (Bushwick), and can be seen in ads for the charity NY Cares.  

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Here is a pic from The West Wing, where Jimmy played Matt Santos, a serious, sympathetic democratic presidential candidate w/ a young fam.  Hmmm… sounds familiar. 

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Sometimes art imitates life!  Like our future prez, Jimmy is someone who transcends race.  He’s played Latino characters (from many backgrounds), but also characters that weren’t race-specific. 

Toby Stephens

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I like this longer hair A LOT!  Toby is possibly the hottest Bond villain (aside from fellow Brit Sean Bean.)   Speaking of Sean Bean…  He and Sean acted in Sharpe’s Challenge (shot in Rajasthan, India).   Speaking of India…  He’s acted in English AND Hindi (alongside Aamir Khan in The Rising).

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Like mom, Dame Maggie Smith (above w/ bro),  Toby has an unmistakeable (posh) accent, confidant gait, large expressive eyes, and a wide smile.

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In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Toby plays a kind country farmer who falls for his new neighbor, and becomes a father figure to her little son.   This character is VERY sweet and gentlemanly!

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Toby took on the challenge of Mr. Rochester- a very “changeable” romantic hero who’s “larger than life.”  Now he has MANY more fans!

NEW Movie Review: Oliver Stone’s “W”

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Josh Brolin stars as George W. Bush in this Oliver Stone biopic that traces the head of state’s rise to power from a privileged alcoholic to a born-again Christian whose belief in religious destiny helped move him to the top ranks of political power.  -IMDB synopsis

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Before I saw Josh Brolin’s (quite respectable) performances in American Gangster and No Country for Old Men, I thought the best thing about him was his wife (the fabulous Diane Lane)!  In W, he gets to stretch his acting repertoire (with help from several veteran actors).  The accent, mannerisms, and mistakes of W are on display here.  But Oliver Stone doesn’t create a (overly) negative picture of the president.  My mom commented that the film made her feel “a little sorry for Bush.”

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The heart of this film is the father-son relationship; W never feels like he measures up to H.W. (played with great ease/conviction by James Cromwell).  The grande dame of the Bush family, Barbara (Ellen Burstyn), gets a couple of good moments in the film.  She’s great- I wanted to see more Barbara!  Jeb and other family members are barely there; I wanted to know more about the siblings.

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Believe it or not, W was called “elitist” and “Eastern” when he first ran for office in Midland, TX (his family’s adopted hometown)!  Laura Welch (Elizabeth Banks; she did a fine job in Seabiscuit) was a registered Democrat when she was introduced to Bush at a barbecue.  Laura is as we’d imagine her to be, but her character is not deeply explored.  She’s your typical sweet, supportive, pretty Southern girl.

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Once Bush enters national politics, he’s supported by “Vice” Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss), Condi Rice (Thandie Newton), Colin Powell (Jeffrey Wright), Donald Rumsfeld (Scott Glenn), and “genius boy” Karl Rove (Toby Jones).  My mom wanted to see more of Condi.  I wanted to see more of Dreyfuss and Glenn; they are solid veteran actors, but under-used here.  That’s just sad!  Dimunitive Brit actor, Toby Jones, gets a few interesting moments with Brolin.  Jones has played sneaky political types many times in his acting career.

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I was surprised that the first 20 minutes of the film were so dull.  It showed Bush as a young man acting the fool.  He drinks too much, can’t keep a job, and so forth.  My mind wandered off to other things.  I really liked the two long-ish scenes Brolin had with Stacy Keach (who played an Evangelical pastor from Midland).  Brolin commented in an interview that quitting drinking was one of the things he admired about W.  Unfortunately, there isn’t much to admire about this film.  We already know a lot of the things this film covers!  This is a different Oliver Stone than the one who made Born on the Fourth of July and JFK.  Those movie stays in your mind, unlike this one.