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Showing posts with label Forgotten Characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forgotten Characters. Show all posts
Monday, 25 July 2011
Another week, another forgotten character to wax on about. Sometimes I think it’s not so much a character that’s forgotten as it is an actor who’s completely forgotten, so that any interesting character becomes something of collateral damage. It doesn’t help when you’re not a technically “big name” in a film where some big names are rubbing shoulders and I think that, perhaps, that’s what happens with
Lucy Liu in Kill Bill Vol. 1
as O-Ren Ishii
For the record, Kill Bill is my favourite Tarantino film – it’s an outrageous blend of disgusting gore and irreverent humour and it works, Uma Thurman is fabulous. But, my allegiances have never really been with the Bride, at least not for the first volume because I’ve always had a soft spot for Lucy Liu (who, I’ll maintain, was excellent in Charlie’s Angels). She plays O-Ren Ishii in Tarantino’s film, the first on the list. The introduction to O-Ren Ishii is my favourite of the lot. Liu is one of those actors who works well with expressions, the volume of her work here depends on emotion transferred not by words by her eyes and you don’t doubt the bio that the Bride gives her.
“At a time when I knew the least about my enemies the first name on my death list O-Ren Ishii was easiest to find but, of course, when one manages the difficult task of becoming queen of the Tokyo underworld one doesn’t keep it a secret – does it?”
The film is all about those quick moments that take you from the trite to the insaneand Liu has a sort of animalistic physicality so that imagining her as Queen of the underworld is believable even as you find it a bit comical as she moves from
in a matter of minutes.
It’s the run-up to her death that’s my favourite chapter. The Bride decapitates O-Ren’s army and, sure, it’s full of virtuoso and whatnot but it’s not the battle that gets me in that scene. It’s the part where The Bride realises that she might have underestimated her enemies. I love the banter between Uma and Lucy.
O-Ren: “You didn’t think it was going to be that easy, did you?”
The Bride: “You know, for a second there, yeah I did.”
O-Ren: “Silly rabbit...”
O-Ren/The Bride: “...Tricks are for kids.”
It’s such a perfect moment, not only does it underscore the zaniness of Tarantino Lucy gets to be awesome – just a few moments before her death. I remember back when everyone was ruminating on a potential candidate for Catwoman I said Lucy Liu was the best choice, and I stand by that claim. She's agile, she an do pity and she fights like an animal.And, she's photogenic...which can never hurt.Yeah, sure, O-Ren is a psycho murderess and what not, but I still feel a bit bad when she gets killed by that Hattori Hanzo sword. And, she gets a killer final line.
“That really was a Hattori Hanzo sword...”
So, sure, The Bride is an iconic character and whatnot - O-Ren Ishii is worth remembering...right?
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Ensemble films tend to turn up when you get to thinking about forgotten characters. With casts that are as expansive as most large ensembles there is some actor who ends up getting shafted – especially when their role isn’t as pivotal to the story’s major arcs. Thus, in a way, I can understand why this particular performance isn’t remembered more often but I still have massive love for
Patricia Clarkson in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
as Judy
Judy is something of an emissary in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. It’s her house that Vicky and Cristina stay at whilst in Barcelona; it’s through her – tangentially – that they meet Juan Antonio and so on. Vicky Cristina Barcelona isn’t quite classic Woody so there’s a tendency for Judy’s appearances in the film to feel a bit perfunctory at times but that’s where Patricia Clarkson comes in. She’s more than adept at acting from the side-lines and infuses Judy with some interesting tics to make her more than just a springboard for the film’s bigger issues. One of her first lines in the film is her throwaway, “It’s so nice to have a little action around here” to the girls. It sounds a bit on-the-nose considering the hijinks they’ll get in to later but I like to think of it as proof of how much of an instigator Judy likes to be. She wants the girls to get into shenanigans so she can live vicariously through them, but as early as her first scenes you get the feeling that she’s jealous of their youth. When Vicky talks of her academic future and her fiancé, Judy glibly responds,
“All her conflicts will be resolved when he makes her pregnant.”
It’s not even said bitterly, that’s just what Judy thinks of married woman – no identity.
It’s a lead up, of course, to her big scene in the beginning of the film’s third act, after Vicky witnesses her kiss with her husband’s friend Jay.
“I haven’t been in love with Mark for years.”
It’s not the most seminal of monologues, she goes through the usual concepts of an unhappy marriage, a fear of getting out of it, the moment passing but it’s not so much the lines as Patty’s expressions through out.
And that line, “I can’t leave him now, and I know I never will.”
Our final shot of Judy occurs after her misguided attempts to get Vicky to hook up with Juan Antonio. With her plans awry she settles, desolately, back into her routine – no excitement to vicariously enjoy. If that isn’t the face of a woman with a backstory, I don’t know what is.
Do you have any left over love for Patty in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, or is she lost in the shuffle?
Monday, 11 July 2011
Voila, the return of Forgotten Characters.
Who could forget Dirty Dancing? It’s got one of the most ubiquitous movie soundtrack, it beats out Ghost for Patrick Swayze’s most memorable film and it’s ingrained in pop culture in a way most films from its era could only hope for. We can all essentially agree that no one puts Baby in a corner, but Dirty Dancing has got a whole lot more going for it than the two leads. In fact, other than their dancing I find the leads a bit bland. The film’s much more rewarding when I think of it in terms of the peerless soundtrack and the roster of bit supporting players. And, as far as supporting players go in the film none make as big an impression on me as this next woman. The oft-forgotten, but more than functional
Kelly Bishop in Dirty Dancing
as Marjorie Houseman
If you’re a fan of the small screen, you probably know Bishop best as the victim of countless Emmy snubs for her performance as the sometimes acerbic mother of Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls. She’s less acerbic, and more June Cleaver in Dirty Dancing. Really, the film is less than interested in her but like all those moments when good actors get terrible roles she makes it seem much more significant than it is. She gets her first line when her older daughter begins lamenting about a pair of shows she didn’t bring along. What always amuses me is how un-ironic is in her dealings with her flight daughter.
“Well, sweetheart you brought three pairs.”
It’s her first line, and you’d expect the slightest bit of sarcasm there. But, Kelly plays it so straight it only makes the admittedly silly antics that more droll. It’s as stereotypical a role as you’d expect. Baby is a daddy’s girl, so it’s Jerry Orbach Mr. Houseman who gets to be the parent in charge, but Marjorie still has her moments. Like when Jake threatens to end the vacation early preventing the family from enjoying the going-away party the lodge throws.
If looks could kill, eh?
It’s her last scene that always gets me, though. Which is odd, considering she doesn’t do much. But, for one, she looks lovely all dressed up there. She goes all mother lion and prevents Jake from going all crazy when Bobby shows up and she gets my favourite line in the film when, whilst watching Baby on stage she leans over to her husband and goes...
“I think she gets this from me.”
The line never fails to elicit a smile from me. It’s probably something of an in-joke. Bishop is a Tony winner actor for her work in A Chorus Line, incidentally so is Jerry Orbach (for his work in Promises, Promises) so of course Baby’s talented – her parents are theatre thespians.
She’s so much fun.
Did you have eyes for Jennifer and Patrick only, or do you remember Bishop in Dirty Dancing?
Sunday, 9 January 2011
One of my favourite blogging traditions of this season is StinkyLulu’s supporting actress blog-a-thon. I can’t profess as unmitigated a love for the category as our venerable host, but time and time again it’s the supporting women who offer up surprising gems that, of course, go unnoticed. One of the terrible things about being deprived of sleep and overly busy, though, is missing out on events like these which meant I took some time to compile a post, or even decide on a performance to feature. My decision to choose Blanchard wasn’t rooted in a desire to go against the grain, the fact is I was mulling over the idea of Dianne Wiest in just because she’s so brilliant and then it occurred to me that the mainstay of StinkyLulu’s feature was celebrating those supporting actors forever on the sidelines – but still doing excellent work – which made Tammy Blanchard’s Izzie an obvious one to write on.
Blanchard, probably most noted for her excellent work as Judy Garland in ABC docudrama Life With Judy Garland: Me & My Shadows, plays Kidman’s somewhat wayward younger sister. I’m still generally flummoxed at the tepid response to Rabbit Hole (my review). Sure, the critics have responded positively but the film has, thus far, made a mere $500,00 at the box-office and other than Kidman’s admittedly stellar work is being virtually ignored by every single awards’ body. David Lindsay-Abaire’s script doesn’t thrive on being especially rote, even though Izzie ostensibly exists as the ying to Becca’s Yang. She’s not really that wayward, even if her first introduction to us is after a bar fight. It’s not the fight that’s important, though, it’s watching the relationship between Becca and Izzie being set up right there. 
All through their conversation it’s not so much that she’s baiting her sister, but Izzie is already used to this and I just love the little moments where the slightest of tics enunciate that. Rabbit Hole moves along gradually and Lindsay-Abaire doesn’t come out immediately and tell us that the main duo is a grieving couple, but the clues are there and not in a thriller-esque way....but in the sort of way we’re given an idea – but not explicitly told. That moment the next morning when Becca finds out that Izzie’s pregnant works a bit like the aforementioned scene. Izzie is deliberately playing her role as the relaxed sibling, but she’s feeling out Becca’s response all along. True, the writing is of special importance, but Blanchard’s interpretation is just as engaging. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Becca asks, and you get the feeling that she really didn’t want to know which makes Blanchard’s response of “Why’d you think?” so important. It’s one of our first “clues” and I love how it rolls off her tongue – when the movie ends and we have all the pieces it’s makes sense that her response is so glib.
Blanchard’s realisation of the role is essential to the tone which Mitchell creates. She can’t act over Nicole – this is her story – and her arc isn’t as easily definable as Wiest’s Nat. She’s a sort of observer, who just so happens to be participating and her intense eyes are an asset. In the same way that you can discern Becca constantly scoping out those around her, you can see Izzie constantly scoping out Becca. For all its deliberateness, Lindsay-Abaire’s script is notable for leaving so much room for thought and it’s as if Blanchard knows that whatever Izzie says – although ostensibly leisurely – is more than just incidental as far as Becca’s concerned. She’s immediately freaked out at the idea of having her child-to-be in her dead nephew’s clothes, and from just watching her eyes dart you know she’s thinking of a way to establish this sensitively. Moreover, it’s the single moment in the film where I realise that it’s not just Becca and Howie who’ve lost someone – Nat and Izzie have lost a relative too. Blanchard’s voice cracks ever-so-slightly as she says how weird it would be seeing her son running around in Danny’s clothes. She knows her sister well enough to know that even though she says she’s fine. When Becca leaves she glances in her direction and her expression there speaks volumes. It’s her lot as a supporting player, and perhaps that is Izzie’s lot as the daughter of a scene-stealer and the sister of a reticent control-freak. The sort of family who get into an argument at your birthday birthday, you have to watch closely to note just how annoyed she is with the situation.
I’m in the process of reviewing 2010 in film with special focus at the moment on Forgotten Characters. Few seem to have remembered her – and Blanchard would make an ideal candidate (regular readers can consider this as Episode Four in 2010 Forgotten Characters). What I love most about Rabbit Hole, though, is the feeling that there’s still another movie going on after the credits roll and I do wonder what will become of Izzie and Auggie. Blanchard has been relegated to middling TV fare but she’s consistently done better than the role deserves (case in point: an undervalued in We Were the Mulvaney’s). Her Izzy here is a plot point, but that doesn’t prevent her from making an impression on me. And really, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate the eccentricities of Becca if we couldn’t value them against her sister. And in that way, Blanchard’s work is more than just interesting – it’s an essential to Rabbit Hole.
Friday, 7 January 2011
There are few things more annoying than watching a film being praised for all the wrong reasons. More than that, it’s more exasperating how an unremarkable performance from a film can be praised while others remain in the background both literally and figurative. I suppose the fact that it wasn’t a big role accounts for its forgotten states, but I’m still especially fond of
Crispin Glover in Alice in Wonderland
as Stayne, Knave of Hearts
I think we can all agree that Helena Bonham Carter was the best-in-show in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (reviewed here) and true, even those who’ve mistakenly (in my book) given support to Depp’s work in the film agree on that. What I wish they’d take time out to note is the fact that Crispin Clover’s second-in-command to the diabolical Red Queen easily emerges as the film’s most notable male performance. Bonham Carter has a terrifying screen presence that’s put to full use here and in all her tyranny Glover must be the diplomatic bridge between the Queen’s constant freak-outs and those she freaks out upon. Naturally, he himself has pent-up hatred for the Queen. Woolverton’s resolution to their relationship which only reinforces the poorness of the screenplay but watching Glover’s very slick Knave opposite Bonham Carter’s very fiery Queen is a treat. Because the Red Queen is so officious he ends up having to spend a great deal of time playing reactionary shots that he absolutely sells. There’s something a little creepy about him (put to excellent use in Charlie’s Angels), but he tempers the creepiness – and where the screenplay is doing nothing to help him out he creates the Knave as a very interesting anti-hero who you want to know more of.
There’s that moment where Um, Alice in disguise is at the Red Queen’s lair – fine her castle – and there’s that confusion as to what her name is. Helena is just a treasure there, but it’s interesting watching Stayne’s face as he thinks he’s one-upped our Ladyship. Well, he has actually – but they haven’t realised it. It’s that sort of reactionary consistency – notice he’s always excessively glib when the Queen has her freak-outs to the point of disinterest – that manages to make Woolverton’s script not good, but better than abysmal. I hate and love that about-face moment where he tries to kill the Red Queen at the film’s end. I hate it because you sort of wish that their dysfunctional relationship could thrive, but it makes sense in a way and Glover does a good job of pulling it off. As he tells her, “It is far better to be feared than loved.” He’s just after the best meal ticket – and getting banished means he has no need for her anymore. Either way he’s a nice bit of fun in an ensemble that has some hits (Bonham Carter, Hathaway) and just as many misses (Depp, Wasikowska) and even though his seduction of Alice makes me shake my head it does spawn my favourite line of his – “I like you, Um. I like largeness.” Priceless. Do you remember Glover’s dark Knave or did Burton’s officiously directed Alice in Wonderland make you forget him?
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Honestly, I don’t get the guilds. From the WGA consistently qualifying screenplays that didn’t follow their format to the SAG nominating films for Ensemble Cast and missing out on key actors. I was especially annoyed when An Education earned an Ensemble Nod and Cara Seymour and Olivia Williams failed to get mention, and this year they were at it again. I suppose, in theory, with legendary thespians around you’re bound to get forgotten but it’s a damn shame for
Yaya DaCosta in The Kids Are All Right
as Tanya
One of the things that’s most obviously great about Cholodenko’s work in The Kids Are All Right is her ability to juggle the storylines of the main quintet without ever short-changing any of them – but it’s a sort of disservice to her and Blumberg when we think of only the main quintet they’re not the only characters in the film that exude authenticity. Tanya is Paul co-worker at the vineyard and his on-and-off again lover. And, true, in theory she’s essentially a sounding board for Paul to voice his insecurities, but I love how she’s not written narrowly as a flat character. Moreover, I love the little things DaCosta does with the performance. She has a winning charisma about her and I just love that early conversation where Paul is telling her that he can’t believe they used his stuff. She responds with: “Why not? I’d use it.” With this type of character who’s literally acting on the sidelines it’s important to get line-readings down, and DaCosta does it beautifully. It’s part of the charm of The Kids Are All Right that has you feeling you can reach out and touch all the characters.
Tanya is probably most noticeable by her Foxxy Cleopatra hair from the eighties, and I probably being a bit too anal when I wonder if that faux-eighties hear is redolent of the faux-African necklace she wears recalling some deeper meaning (probably just me). I love that scene, though, where that other worker comes in and Tanya is all mocking – “I thought you should have the first taste...of my pussy.” Another line-reading I’m always liable to remember, not that she’s only good with the readings, though. As Paul shifts into the lives of Jules and the children you kind of get that he and Tanya are heading nowhere. Like that first time he turns down their liaison, her face is just a little disappointed – but it doesn’t go on too long (kudos to the Jeffrey Werner’s excellent editing). And that final scene where they do part ways manages to have some semblance of profundity because we’ve actually come to care about DaCosta’s kooky sidekick. And the fact that the film is only 90 minutesa and still get that sort of a relationship with a palpably secondary character is something worthy applauding – not only Choldenko and Blumberg, but DaCosta too.Do you think SAG snubbed her? Or was she rightfully forgotten?
Previously Forgotten:
3:1 Cillian Murphy in Inception
Previously Forgotten:
3:1 Cillian Murphy in Inception
Friday, 31 December 2010
It’s that time of year when the internet is virtually flooded with a slew of Best of Lists. I’m no year ready to turn the lights off on 2010. There are still a number of releases I’d like to see before I compile my personal picks, but now is as good a time as any to return my running feature Forgotten Characters, focusing specifically on the characters of 2010 in film. There’s a smorgasbord of picks to choose from, and this should probably carry me until the end of January which is about when I should start working on my year end awards.
I decided I'd restart the feature with what's arguably the most talked about film of the year, Nolan's Inception - which I liked, in spots. I know a few expected Inception to be nominated for Ensemble Cast at the Screen Actors' Guild Awards, I didn't though. Of Nolan's features, it has the strongest cast but it's also the least inspired work he's gotten from an ensemble. Still, though Marion's Mal sort of steamrolled everyone around her there's another performance that I keep recalling - alone...
Cillian Murphy in Inception
as Robert Fischer
Everyone is playing a distinctive "type" in Inception (my review), and as the literal scene of the crime to be done Murphy must play Fischer in the register of the oft-forgotten, somewhat bitter son so I'm even more proud of Murphy for managing to turn in what's probably the most emotional arc of the entire film. He's lucky, because aside from the Cobb/Mal fiasco he's the only character who has an actual backstory, and to Nolan's credit as simplistic as it is it's never tawdry. What I appreciate even more, though, is how Murphy plays it - it's as Fischer is in his own film and he's just crossing paths with the Inception folks. Like that early scene with the toy windmill. It's the sort of emotional nuances you don't expect to see (and that you sort of wish was more prevalent in the film).
It sort of makes me feel a tad more sympathetic towards him that we're essentially going through an entire film feeding him a lie, and though that emotional centerpiece is nowhere near as delicately developed as Mal's madness it makes me appreciate Cillian more. I'm often feeling out-of-the-loop when it comes to him; as if I should like him more - but I'm rarely given a palpable reason to. Not that he breaks new ground with Fischer in Inception, but it's the sort of well played characterisation that's always well appreciated especially when it's possible to play the entire thing in a one-note register that most wouldn't mind. So, that final scene where he brushes shoulders with Cobb in the airport I wonder just what happens to Robert afterwards....
What did you think of Murhpy in Inception?
Friday, 11 June 2010
I like to have my own weird ideas of continuity, so it makes sense that my final entry in Forgotten Characters* will be a continuation of the original entry. So many months ago I covered a performance that I would have given an Oscar nomination to from an excellent 1999 entry. It is weird how one exceptional could manage to have so many excellent – and forgotten performances. I’ve been having this woman on my mind for some time, so it makes sense…
Gwyneth Palthrow in The Talented Mr. Ripley
As Marge Sherwood
Gwyneth really impressed with that 1998/1999 one-two punch of Viola DeLesseps and Marge Sherwood. It’s also more than a little ironic that she was once again in direct contention with a certain Ms. Blanchett. Marge plays the girlfriend to Dickie – Jude Law in a performance for the ages. When the duplicitous Tom Ripley wheedled himself into the duo he becomes a contented confidante to both Dickie and Marge and it’s the portion of the performance where Palthrow thrives. With it’s obvious feeling of overt darkness in the latter portion, there’s something oddly enticing about the film’s first half and Gwyneth is a large part of that. It’s easy to think she’s doing too little but it’s just her character of Marge (an excellent one, I might add). She manages to make Marge’s inclination to Tom unromantic and believable and perhaps it’s this reason that her performance in the second half doesn’t hold up quite as excellently.
The only false note I can find in the performance is her hysterical confrontation of Ripley towards the film’s end which is not exactly her fault – it’s also Minghella’s only false note, and I forgive her for it nonetheless because she’s so willing to portray Marge as self-deprecating it ends up working even when it shouldn’t. Like Jose, I hope that Palthrow’s familial duties eventually subside so she can return to the big screen. She’s not given enough credit for her natural cadence and affability which is something that’s decidedly difficult to forge. Of course with Jude and Matt giving performances of their lifetimes it’s not difficult to forget Gwyneth (and her psychological doppelganger) but it doesn’t hurt to take a few moments of your time to recall her brilliance. Like her costar, she would have rounded out my Supporting Actress line-up that year with Jolie, Bonham Carter and either Keener or Diaz. But, oh well, such is life.
*as the post title implies, Forgotten Characters will be in recess for the next few months. Next week I’ll debut a new feature.
Did you remember Gwyneth’s subtle performance? Or were you too caught up in the main duo?
Forgotten Characters: Season 1
Blanchett in The Talented Mr. Ripley
Richardson in The Hours
Hawke in Training Day
Monroe in All About Eve
Castle in The Lion in Winter
Bean in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
Payne in Walk the Line
Forgotten Characters: Season 2
Mulligan in Pride & Prejudice
Law in The Aviator
Poehler in Mean Girls
Firth in The English Patient
Bates in Revolutionary Road
Farmiga in The Departed
Richardson in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
Noni Rose in Dreamgirls
Beymer, Tamblyn et al in West Side Story
Ryan in Changeling
Friend in Pride & Prejudice
Thursday, 20 May 2010
In the wake of The Lord of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean I ended up believing that Orlando Bloom was a part of Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice. It wasn’t until some time later that I realised that it was no him, but his doppelganger (to me, at least). Now at the turn of a decade Bloom’s name is forgotten, truthfully, few remember this young man either…
Rupert Friend in Pride & Prejudice
As Mr. Wickham
Friend probably gets the best entrance in Pride & Prejudice. Lizzie and Jane walk chatting through the streets, she loses her handkerchief and in a billow of cloth we spy the face of Friend’s soldier. Carey Mulligan’s giggles incessantly (more on her in P&P), “Did you drop yours on purpose, Lizzie.” As much as I love Austen’s work (and I do) I am always amused by how many of her books (all arguably) have our heroine being duped by a good-looking but duplicitous man. Friend’s performance isn’t anywhere as good as Wise’s take on a similar character in Sense & Sensibility, but he does well. He’s charming if not a little bland, I’ve said it before – he’s so good I wish he’d been given Simon Wood's role of Bingley. But Friend succeeds in making Wickham affable enough so that we end feeling a little - a little - derailed when we find out the inevitable truth, he's a cad.
Do you agree, is he good here or forgettable?
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Due to a post to boost my memory compliments of Marshall my mind turned to this film recently. There’s so much about this film that’s forgotten, some of them understandable, like this performance. It wasn’t a poor one, by any means, but in an already long film it didn’t take up much time…hence its forgotten status.
Amy Ryan in Changeling
As Carol Dxter
We meet Carol a good way in Changeling. Jolie’s Christine has been cast into a mental institution via the Police Force. Amy grabs my attention from the inception, without being too obvious. Her first words are sage, “You should eat. Eating is normal. You got to do everything you can to look normal.” Both Christine and the audience are startled by the composure coming from someone in a place like this. As she gives Christine the “inside scoop” on their situation it’s a good moment for the film, and Clint knows that. I liked Changeling quite much, but even I’ll admit it could get oppressive at times with all the information, but Clint holds back here and Ryan (along with Jolie) work well. Even in the nondescript moments like Ryan’s line reading of, “I work nights.” Jolie’s Christine is nonplussed, and then she enunciates “I work nights.” It’s some slight irony that coming from the stage (and being known for her loud – but excellent – performance in Gone Baby Gone) Amy has such a knack for subtlety. Eastwood knows she’s a gem and she gets those poignant lines, “If we’re insane, nobody has to listen to us. I mean, who are you going to believe, some crazy woman trying to destroy the force of the, or a police officer? ”
We don’t have any time to see the relationship grown between the two; perhaps it’s just their commonality that fosters that tenuous bond. Like her brave – but misguided – punch to the doctor to “save” Christine. It’s an iffy moment, story wise, but it works precisely because Amy Ryan is able to convey that this woman is at the end of the rope. There’s nowhere left to go. Her confession in the hospital room is slight but effective, “I lost…two babies…to back alley doctors…no choice…Never had the chance…to fight for them. You do. Don’t stop.” It’s moment like these that define a character that could have turned into little more than vignette. Her final moment is wordless, a newly rejuvenated Christine returns to get all the Code Twelve patients out. The silent exchange between Jolie and Ryan is a quiet tender moment and just with her eyes Amy says so much. As the saying goes, there are no small roles only small actors and Amy Ryan is definitely not a small actor – her work in Changeling is special.
Do you remember Carol Dexter of “f**k-you-and-the-horse-you-rode-in-on” fame? Or did you forget Changeling and all that comes with it?
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
There are some persons I’m not sure if it’s their characters that are forgotten, or just them completely. Ask anyone to name a good musical of the sixties, and though My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music might take a number of votes Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ 1961 piece will turn up invariably. The thing is, everyone remember The Sharks – Rita Moreno (very good), Natalie Wood (similarly good) and George Chakiris (not so much). Everyone forgets The Jets? Why is that? I don’t though, hence the following commemoration…
Richard Beymer / Russ Tamblyn in West Side Story (my review)
As Tony and Riff
Along with Tucker Smith as Ice, Gina Trikonis as Graziella, Susan Oakes as Anybodys, Tony Mordente as Action, Carole D'Andrea as Velma & Elliot Field as Baby John
I’m a fan of Russ Tamblyn, remembering particularly his work in Peyton Place…I’m always nonplussed to the love for George Chakiris’s uninspired take on Tybalt/Bernardo when Russ’ superior take on Mercutio/Riff is forgotten. Similarly, I often wonder why Beymer isn’t remembered as Tony. Sure, he’s lip synching, but that doesn’t make his performance any worse. Take that early moment where Tamblyn and Beymer discuss the imminent batte. The chemistry between the two is strong as Riff cajoles Tony to attend that fateful dance. Sure, I’d give Tamblyn the edge – he is the stronger of the two, but Beymer’s reticent charm shouldn’t be left unnoticed. I will say, in a decade of excellent lip synchers (Kerr, Hepburn, Wood) Beymer takes the cake. I don’t know if it’s sheer luck on his part that they found a singer who’s voice is so close to his speaking voice, but it all just comes together well. The tentative romance with wood is a beauty to watch, even though I don’t see them as obvious complements to the other. Few romantic moments are as honest as the meeting on the fire escape in “Tonight”.
The Sharks have their moments with “America”, of course it’s more female centred because a large part of the story revolves around Anita. The female Jets aren’t as lucky. Sure, they do their dancing at the dance but they rarely get a moment to shine. Still Trikonis and D'Andrea come off well with the light comedy. I like their cutting remarks at Anybodys.Trikonis’s line-reading is a favourite of mine, “An American tragedy!” she says referring to the adrogynous girl. This soon segues into “Officer Krupke”, an oft forgotten number. It’s not as eclectic as “America” but I love it just as much. The number is sold by Tamblyn who just has a knack for the physical comedy. He completely understands the irreverent leadership of Riff (as opposed to Bernardo’s iron fist), but he’s just as loyal. Riff’s (perhaps, misguided) devotion to Tony is a significant part of his character. As they said at the beginning, “birth to earth, womb to tomb”. It’s for this reason that Riff’s death makes me sad. Bernardo’s death is only one that saddens me incidentally, I know Anita will be hurt and so will Maria. But I feel no connection to Chakiris, which is perhaps, as it should be. 
You know West Side Story to inevitable tragedy but Beymer’s (and Wood) innocence still have you hoping something will happen. As honest as “Tonight”, “One Hand, One Heart” takes it just a little further. It’s a striking romantic duet, and measured against the inevitable fallout only makes it more poignant. And of course it only gets sadder, “Somewhere” has to be the most moving bits of lipsynching, and it makes you realise how much work Beymer (and Wood) are putting into it. We may not be hearing their voices, but all the emotions we’re seeing are real and effective. It’s as if all the Jets are saving up their best work for after Riff’s death. Like the way that Smith effectively steps into place as the interim leader. The rendition of “Cool” is the easily the strongest group number of the entire score and placed right there after the heat of the two murder’s makes it more than just an extraneous number. It's Smith's moment to shine, along with all the other Jets - and they do. It’s the same way that the annoying Anybodys becomes more grounded after Riff’s death too. It’s like everything comes into motion. It doesn’t make their coffee shop with Anita any more forgivable, but it’s depressing when we put into perspective. I suppose that moment skewers the narrative in the direction of the Sharks when it comes to sympathy. It’s all leading up to the inevitable tragedy. Beymer’s strongest moment as Doc tells him of Maria’s “death”. It’s unlike the Tony we’ve seen before and it’s the moment of bliss on his face as he spies her in red suspended there as his life expires that most profound.
Sure West Side Story went on to win ten Oscars (the most for any musical) but there seems some injustice that Beymer, Tamblyn and all those other Jets haven’t endured over time…or do you remember them too?
Friday, 23 April 2010
When you star in a glitzy musical with a stunted character and no musical number of your own is there any way for you to thrive? The natural answer is no, you end up being forgotten. But sometimes, a paradox occurs, and both happen. There are some performances that are excellent, but due to whatever mitigating factors they end up becoming forgotten - unfortunately so. That is what happened to this excellence performance:
Anika Noni Rose in Dreamgirls
When Dreamgirls came out in 2006 it took the world by storm, sort of, and it seemed everyone was enamoured with the newly discovered Jennifer Hudson. As a book musical, Dreamgirls exists primarily as a showcase for the actor playing Effie White and Hudson's Effie, though often uninspired, was competent. However, it was the nuanced performance of Noni Rose that impressed me the most. At 34 Rose was tasked with playing the naive Lorrell Robinson from a teenager unto adulthood. It was a conceit, but one that has worked time and time again. Noni Rose does have a youthful look to her, but it was more than aesthetic that solidified her performance. A professional theatre actress herself, Rose was able to do something that her fellow Dreamettes could not do. Hudson's issue was that she acts only when the camera focuses on her only, she fails to provide a realistic Effie when she was not the forefront on the scene, Knowles Deena is a realistic entity in her song and in dancing, but in her spoken lines there is a nervousness that is only too palpable. However, with Anika, the immaturity and simplicity of her character is understood. From her early scene as she laments over the state of their wigs, a simple line reading like "Deena, it's so...different" suggests eons more than the line would normally allow her to do. The camera may be focusing on Effie White in "Move" but notice the wan smile of Lorrell. She's so oblivious to everything, she's just along for the ride and it's that very characterisation that defines her role. She's not unaware of the tensions in the group as they perform the number "Heavy", she simply chooses to ignore them going to her own "happy place". This is what makes her passionate plea I'm as much a part of this group as everybody else so poignant in "It's All Over".
It's actually a running theme of a woman being pushed the brink, in Act One eventually she reaches her peak with Effie and Act Two turns to her torrid affair with Jimmy. She really isn't given much, so she must act her way through the bland moments. Like Jimmy's decision to light up at the Christmas part, she manages to portray so much with just an aversion of her eyes. If only she was given the chance to perform Lorrell's number from the stage "Ain't No Party". The truncated "Lorrell Loves Jimmy" as she leaves him is too short to present all the loveliness of her voice we've waited for, and "Patience" doesn't allow us to get inside her character. That makes her performance all the more worthy, like her frenzied run through the hall after hearing of Jimmy's death or her looks of sadness as they sing "Hard to Say Goodbye". Whenever I hear the word Dreamgirls I remember my favourite (incidental) line-reading as she turns to the exaggerated Eddie Murphy and says the sagest lines of the film. "Oh Mr Earlie, you so crazy." It's a brilliant turn from a forgotten woman, but she easily makes my top 5 Supporting Women for 2006.
Did Anika impress you with her shrewd acting choices in Dreamgirls? Or was she rightly shafted from any love?
Previously Forgotten...
Did Anika impress you with her shrewd acting choices in Dreamgirls? Or was she rightly shafted from any love?
Previously Forgotten...
Saturday, 17 April 2010
Regardless of how many ways an actor decides to come into a film, the cameo will always be one of the easiest ways to get forgotten. Not because the actor isn’t doing they’re job well, but some films are just so expansive that bit roles are difficult to discern. Such it was the case when a talented Briton pulled off a beautiful cameo a few years ago.
Miranda Richardson in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
As Rita Skeeter
Like every plot point in Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire Rita Skeeter’s subplot is severely reduced, but that doesn’t stop Miranda from being a light of fresh air in the often stiflingly dark film. She comes in a few moments after Harry has been (surprisingly) chosen as one of the finalists in the Tri-Wizard Competition. Looking decades younger than her age in a tight green number, Miranda manages to emanate the sort of sleazy charm that Rowling has imbued onto Rita (the literary version). There’s something just a little perverse as she runs her eyes over the champions, particularly Victor Krum and Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson who’s incidentally another forgotten character of the series). Miranda knows to work magic with her eyes, but it’s her voice that strikes me. It’s too fervently bubbly. Her ensuing interview with Harry in the broom cupboard is well handled, but too short to bring all the hilarity it should.
We meet her again momentarily, a few minutes before the first Tri-Wizard task. Snapping a picture of Hermione and Harry in an embrace she says sweetly, “If anything goes unfortunately today, you might make the front page.” She’s not one to be shot down either. As she’s advised to leave the tent she only smirks, remarking glibly “We've got what we wanted.” as she snaps another annoying photo. It’s not much in a film that’s quite long, but it reminds me of how talented Miranda is and how seldom we get a chance to notice. She is an excellent Rita Skeeter, but it’s not a principal leading role in anyway. Still, even if I wasn’t a fan of the series (the books at least) one mainstay of the film series is their consistency in finding delicious cameos for every working British actor. Miranda’s Rita is one of the better ones.
Don’t you think it’s time for Miranda to get back into a lead role? Were you charmed by her take on the sleazy reporter in The Goblet of Fire?
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Does anyone remember Diane Keaton when they think of The Godfather? I do; but I’m a big fan of hers., so it's probably just my nepotism. It’s sort of an occupational hazard for all the women in the movie even the good Talia Shire. The Godfather is a male dominated film, and it’s not difficult for the women to get supplanted from your memory. The same thing happened a few years back in 2006, even though I recall this role always with affection, I think many have forgotten in.
Vera Farmiga in The Departed
As Madolyn
Sometimes I wonder why it is that I like Vera Farmiga so much.- I have not seen her in much. Sure, she’s completely charismatic in interviews and such, but so are a number of actors that I don’t care for. I always remember Vera’s performance in The Departed with fondness. We first meet her with Colin the elevator. We sense her professionalism, but we don’t get much because it’s not until our second meeting with this woman that we really get to know her. We notice how she thinks in offhand statements, like on her date with Sullivan when he says. “You also do probation work, right? The bad guys.” I love Vera’s response, of “Not necessarily.” It’s not really that much ostensibly, but Madolyn is defined by her ethics. It’s like she says, “Sometimes, I want people to just forget about their personal bullshit and do their jobs.” It’s a bit ironic though when we take into account her subsequent meeting with Costigan. It’s easy for the audience to realise just how disconcerting it is for her to be flummoxed by a patient and as DiCaprio storms through the scene, Vera’s reaction is excellent. She’s reticent, but never overshadowed.
Of course Madolyn’s story, like the other characters, is capsized as the film continues. The call from Costello is obviously jarring to her. She’s smart, even smarter than we realise and as she observes Colin in the phone she knows things are more amiss than she’s letting on. The Departed never cares to condescend to giving the audience back stories, so we have to piece it together based on the excellence of the actors. Vera sells Madolyn’s attraction to Billy, though we see little of how it grew. It’s never tawdry (and not just because Costigan’s a “good guy”). She doesn’t get much leverage to end the relationship with Billy since it’s played out in just a short scene, but it always reminds me of the end of another extramarital affair. As the plot winds down she is given less to do, but I love when she finds out about Colin’s injudiciousness. Vera is good with her face and just her look of daggers to Colin is excellent. Our final shot of her is her look of anger at Colin. Sure The Departed doesn’t revolve around her, but Vera helps it to be brilliant.
What did you think of Vera in The Departed? Excellent, or overshadowed by the males?
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