Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Blood Diamond is apparently not being given the glorious exhibition opportunity by a whole lot of people (i.e., it's a box office disappointment), but I don't know why.

It's a terrific actioner

I got around to it last night and I'm going to have to disagree. It was a decent genre picture but not a great one. The character development was pretty standard and the ultimate conclusion was apparent from the beginning.

I'm always uncomfortable when an action movie is set against the backdrop of an important social issue. When an entire societal calamity is reduced to an opportunity for one scumbag to rediscover his humanity.

It is very well made and obviously wants to be an important movie. If people see it and decide not to be consumers of diamonds then that is good. But it is easy for me to say that. I've never owned a diamond which made the decision, more than a decade ago, that I never would an easy one.

Plus, I'm tired of movies not being able to focus on the problems of Africa without giving the leads to white actors. I know the western journalist is frequently the avenue of inserting the audience into the story but I am tired of it. That is one thing I liked about Hotel Rwanda and I'm sure at some point some studio executive said "can we beef up the Nolte character into more of a lead?"

ETA: Oh, and I've been told by a linguist friend who knows the languages of those parts of Africa that Di Caprio's accent is pretty darn good. But it is also very distracting since you know it is fake.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

The character development was pretty standard and the ultimate conclusion was apparent from the beginning.

Well, that didn't seem to hurt Star Wars. I'm not comparing the quality of the two; merely pointing out that standard character development and foregone conclusion often have little bearing on the quality of an action or adventure movie.

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

I'm always uncomfortable when an action movie is set against the backdrop of an important social issue.

Hmmm, and I find it quite refreshing. Movies that focus on an important social issue are likely to end up being seen by far fewer people than more standard popcorn fare that plays against the background of an important social issue. Both such hypothetical films should be judged on their own merits as movies, but I am gladdened that more people will become aware of a social ill (and perhaps want to learn more about it) via the popcorn movie than from the arthouse flick.

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

Oh, and I've been told by a linguist friend who knows the languages of those parts of Africa that Di Caprio's accent is pretty darn good. But it is also very distracting since you know it is fake.

And why is that? Are you equally distracted by the likes of Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett when they do work that involves a fake accent expertly imitated? How about when Nicole Kidman speaks with a perfect American voice in a film, despite her native Aussie accent Or why not be distracted by the simple fact that you know perfectly well movie star Leonardo DiCaprio is not the mercenary smuggler with a heart of gold?

To each his own, but if an accent is done well ... I don't see any legitimate objection to an actor performing a role that calls for one.


Did you like Blood Diamond at all as a film, Alex, or were your many judgments against its behind-the-scenes choices simply too great for you overcome?

[Alex]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

Well, that didn't seem to hurt Star Wars. I'm not comparing the quality of the two; merely pointing out that standard character development and foregone conclusion often have little bearing on the quality of an action or adventure movie.

I'm not a big fan of Star Wars, either.

Hmmm, and I find it quite refreshing.

I find it trivializing.

Both such hypothetical films should be judged on their own merits as movies, but I am gladdened that more people will become aware of a social ill (and perhaps want to learn more about it) via the popcorn movie than from the arthouse flick.

Not many more people, Blood Diamond is barely going to make it to $50 million and so far is doing almost nothing internationally.

And why is that? Are you equally distracted by the likes of Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett when they do work that involves a fake accent expertly imitated?

I find it distracting when I am very familiar with a person's normal speaking voice is suddenly speaking with a strong accent. Why is that? I don't know, it just is.

For Leonardo Di Caprio I am very familiar with his normal speaking voice. For Meryl Streep that is true as well. That is not so much the case with most Australian and British actors since I generally only hear them talk in movies where they are masking their native accents.

It isn't fair, but for them it works in reverse. Hugh Laurie, whom I mostly know from House is distracting when I hear him interviewed with his normal accent.

Or why not be distracted by the simple fact that you know perfectly well movie star Leonardo DiCaprio is not the mercenary smuggler with a heart of gold?

To each his own, but if an accent is done well ... I don't see any legitimate objection to an actor performing a role that calls for one.

I don't know why. Why are you distracted by subtitles and I don't even notice I'm reading. Just the way it is.

And by no means am I saying an actor shouldn't do roles that call for accents. But when they do, some part of my brain is distracted in thinking about how good it is, how much work they put into it, listening for slip ups.

Did you like Blood Diamond at all as a film, Alex, or were your many judgments against its behind-the-scenes choices simply too great for you overcome?

It was an ok action movie. Very standard violence and advancement plot. There were interesting things around the edges. Extremely middle of the pack.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

It isn't fair, but for them it works in reverse. Hugh Laurie, whom I mostly know from House is distracting when I hear him interviewed with his normal accent.

Heh, and I used to watch Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster, so when I started seeing commercials for House it weirded me out to no end to hear him speaking with an American accent. It's one of the reasons I've avoided watching House (that and medical dramas are intensely uninteresting to me).

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Heh, and I used to watch Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster, so when I started seeing commercials for House it weirded me out to no end to hear him speaking with an American accent. It's one of the reasons I've avoided watching House (that and medical dramas are intensely uninteresting to me).

He and Stephen Fry were prominent in Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder series' as well. Laurie was also very American in the Stuart Little movies.

Those two have had varied creative careers as writers, actors and novelists that I think we'd all aspire to. Not to forget, in Laurie's case, sleeping with Emma Thompson.

[wendybeth]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

He and Stephen Fry were prominent in Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder series' as well. Laurie was also very American in the Stuart Little movies.

Those two have had varied creative careers as writers, actors and novelists that I think we'd all aspire to. Not to forget, in Laurie's case, sleeping with Emma Thompson.

It is so weird to see him go from the Prince Regent character to the House one- he's really is an amazing actor. (I have the entire BlackAdder series on DVD. )