tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post537159304644890661..comments2023-10-30T07:41:42.272-05:00Comments on The Den of Snobbery: Day 256: Thor: The Dark WorldElitist Movie Snobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15903495267094812095noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-73947069469687770612014-03-15T19:14:24.413-05:002014-03-15T19:14:24.413-05:00I was just in HIgh School when Titanic came out an...I was just in HIgh School when Titanic came out and even though Kate Winslet was only like 20/21 when they made it, I just always looked up to her as someone older. Yeah, Michelle Williams is great. I appreciated the performances in Blue Valentine, but I didn't like the movie really, because it was TOO sad for me. Watching it once was enough. I loved Anne Hathaway in Les. Mis, but that was her best, I think. I don't really know how I choose movies I like. I like drama and I like sad, but I don't like when the entire thing is sad, without any hope. I guess I choose kinda by how inclined I am to watch something again. Sometimes my favorites and what I think are best are different and sometimes they are the same.Susan Sjodinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05339071281498504547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-65490519516325845172014-03-15T18:39:56.488-05:002014-03-15T18:39:56.488-05:00Kate Winslet is younger than you think. She's ...Kate Winslet is younger than you think. She's only 38. She's just been around for so long that she seems older. Michelle Williams is another one that I think is fantastic, and she's a year younger than me. Her performance in Blue Valentine is one of the best of the last ten years without a doubt. I know she's reviled now for some reason, but Anne Hathaway is also very good. Elitist Movie Snobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903495267094812095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-18103337425887564602014-03-15T16:46:40.947-05:002014-03-15T16:46:40.947-05:00Oh, I mean actresses born in the late 70's-80&...Oh, I mean actresses born in the late 70's-80's. I feel like my generation is best defined as those born between '75 and '85, but maybe it's a bit broader than that. HOW could I forget Joaquin. He is in my top 5 for sure. I would love to make a top 5 men and top 5 women from that decade(ish) list. It's great to be inspired by those who I looked up to in my youth, but also those of the same age range. I love those older actresses you mentioned. I love many of the Brits too, like Imelda Staunton.Susan Sjodinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05339071281498504547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-64405087559049477962014-03-15T16:31:44.403-05:002014-03-15T16:31:44.403-05:00Fassbender's fantastic, one of the best actors...Fassbender's fantastic, one of the best actors currently working along with Joaquin Phoenix. As for the ladies of the 70s and 80s, you've got Meryl Streep, Jodie Foster, Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Sally Field. Nancy Allen did some great work with her husband Brian DePalma. Kathleen Turner was phenomenal in Body Heat. Cathy Moriarty was incredible in Raging Bull. Karen Black had faded by the late 70s, but in her prime she was one of the best. I'd add Ellen Burstyn & Faye Dunaway to that list as well, and Gena Rowlands and Jill Clayburgh, though they were more mid-70s. Jessica Lange was early mid to early 80s as was Meg Tilly who is perhaps the most underrated actress of the 1980s. Elitist Movie Snobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903495267094812095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-2459916766348183162014-03-15T16:19:56.401-05:002014-03-15T16:19:56.401-05:00Oh yeah, also Fassbender is great in my gen. And D...Oh yeah, also Fassbender is great in my gen. And Domnhall Gleeson from About Time. They're interesting to watch, and I think possess a kind of vulnerability which keeps the audience guessing. Probably the material too, but they are people I want to see more from. <br /><br />Who are the women from the Late 70's, early 80's who I love? I just can't think? Who am I missing?Susan Sjodinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05339071281498504547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-51684687654866163372014-03-15T16:12:36.916-05:002014-03-15T16:12:36.916-05:00I never think of Amy Adams or Kate Winslet as bein...I never think of Amy Adams or Kate Winslet as being my generation, but they are women I admire, certainly. I'm not 100% sure what defines a generation. I always think about 5 years, give or take, but maybe it's more like a decade, but then in which direction? Kate Winslet is my favorite actress for sure of the under 40 variety, so maybe that does count. <br /><br />I have only seen Moon with Sam Rockwell, which I loved. He's definitely not in the same generation though. Just a bit older.<br /><br />Black Swan was my favorite of that year too and I thought she totally deserved her win. My friend has a theory that Darren Aronofsky brings out the best in people. The women in the superhero films often get the worst material to begin with. The things the other characters do and say are really better to begin with, so while I'm sure they may be more capable of transcending the bad, they've got a better starting place. <br /><br />Yeah, Clooney is always Clooney to me. Which works beautifully sometimes. I think that's why I liked Up in the Air, even if it was a bit overhyped. I wasn't expecting much from it and loved it, because it was the best I'd seen him in. I've never seen any of his dramas really. He doesn't quite charm me in films in the same way he does in real life, where he seems like a perfectly kind and charismatic person. Did I mention that at the beginning of Monuments Men, I just didn't find him believable in the 40's. I don't think he can make rainbows out of bad material either. Susan Sjodinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05339071281498504547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-10660013849831038112014-03-15T15:55:23.801-05:002014-03-15T15:55:23.801-05:00I agree with you to some extent on Hiddleston. I h...I agree with you to some extent on Hiddleston. I haven't seen Coriolanus, so I can't speak to that in particular, but I think he's top five of this generation, easily, but I still think Sam Rockwell is the best actor, at least film actor, of his contemporaries. <br /><br />As for Portman, I thought she was transcendently good in Black Swan, a film that I picked as the best of 2010, and still think very highly of. I think that had more to do with the script, character, and certainly director, and if given the right elements, she can be very good. Her problem is that she breaks under the weight of bad material, which is the mark of how good an actor is, and I think she falls woefully short of the greats for that reason. <br /><br />Of this crop of female actresses in our age range, I would have to say that Kate Winslet is the obvious choice for the best of the bunch, but I also love Jennifer Connolly, Amy Adams, and Charlize Theron. Judging them based on what they can do with middling to poor material, they rarely make a misstep. <br /><br />Hemsworth is incredibly charismatic, and the two things I've seen him in outside of Marvel are Cabin in the Woods and Rush, both of which he was terrific in, but both of which played to his strengths. He has a lot of old movie star charm, and while I think his range is limited, the roles that he's done within that range prove that he can build a really strong career for himself, not unlike George Clooney, another actor with an incredibly limited range. <br /><br />I love that you wrote what you did because I always envisioned this blog as a sharing of ideas, not necessarily a "great review, keep up the good work," kind of thing. I wish more people would get on this bandwagon and open things up for discussion. That's what I've always wanted this to be about, and I'm very happy that you stop in on occasion to do just that!Elitist Movie Snobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15903495267094812095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6395386597298338483.post-29966905322348800312014-03-15T14:07:40.742-05:002014-03-15T14:07:40.742-05:00Ok, so I just watched both the Thors for the first...Ok, so I just watched both the Thors for the first time last week, admittedly because of Hiddleston. In my opinion, he is the best actor of his(my) generation right now, and I'm not just saying that because of his sexiness. Obviously that plays a part in his appeal and of course in determining the roles he's cast in, because every actor is a sum of his/her parts, and I'm glad he is what he is because I love him in the roles he's done. <br /><br />Now, I never would have watched Thor or The Avengers if not for him, because aside from Spiderman, I really don't know much about any Marvel Characters. But I do love the character of Loki (mythologically speaking-because I don't know much about him as a Marvel character, but I assume he's not that different and I know some of the same things happen to him). So, maybe I'm a poser fan of these just because I really like the Thor/Loki relationship dynamic, but that's about it. He's fantastic in the films, but they all seem a little choppy film wise, which wasn't aided by the fact that we were playing a drinking game while watching. <br /><br />I actually probably first saw Hiddleston in Midnight in Paris, which to me is a perfect script, regardless of what anyone thinks about Woody Allen's personal life. When he grabbed me was recently, when I saw him as Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse in London via an NTlive screening. I will boldly state that it's the BEST performance by someone of his gen. that I have seen. Granted, there are a lot of things I haven't scene, but nothing has affected my like that performance in a LOOOOONG time. Granted, it's got the luxury of being Shakespeare and a stage production, but it's one I can't shake. I hope they make a DVD of it because I want everyone to see it. I think even people who don't think they'd like that particular play would change their minds upon seeing it. So, this is less a comment about the film and more a praising of him, but we're in agreement about him stealing the show here.<br /><br />Let's talk about Portman. Yeah, she was very much the way she was in Star Wars. I blame the material some too, of course, but she is a puzzle to me. I think her work in Black Swan and even Closer was wonderful. Maybe those were just more her thing, but after her Oscar Win, I really started expecting more of her. I am curious to know what you think of her. It is terrible of me maybe, as a woman, but I am hard-pressed to think of my favorite actress of my generation. J.Law doesn't count in my book because she was a teen when I was in my mid-twenties. Actually, when I think about it, my favorite work has come from Chicago actress, Chaon Cross, who has had some small parts on T.V. and film, but is a theatre favorite here at Court and CST. Maybe I just pay more attention to the guys. Don't know what that says about me. Most of my female favorites are older. <br /><br />Also, I think Hemsworth was great at being hilarious in Thor, but I cannot detect his range from those films and he doesn't grab enough to check him out in other things, though if he's given the chance, he may prove me wrong. <br /><br />Sorry this post doesn't have much of a point. I just like sharing my thoughts. Great performances are always what make me like a film.Susan Sjodinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05339071281498504547noreply@blogger.com