actors-x-posed

ahhh …sad news about Heath Ledger, again the Hollywood machine has swallowed another emerging talent. 28 years old. Ridiculously young. sometimes it strange how it feels like you’re losing a friend - why do we feel we know these people? we dont…we dont know a damn thing about any of them. we know they struggle with fame and fortune and excess and ego and all the trappings of being a young celebrity - being a conduit for obscene amounts of attention and praise , for living without the word NO 99% of their adult lives. Could you handle it?..I think i could… seriously - I love to tell myself the righteous work I would be doing were I suddenly beaten with the fame stick - i just dont know …but hEATH LEDGER gave a courageous performance in BBM - hats off to unknown territory in that role - I think one of Heath’s greatest attributes was his voice - first time i saw him i think was in the Patriot and i remembered how grounded his voice was , it gave him presence a heaviness and weight on screen for such a young man- Russell Crowe has that quality. American film actors rarely work with voice - can you imagine Tom cruise as the Gladiator with his voice or Brad Pitt or Keanu Reeves or even George Clooney, and his voice isnt bad, but none of them carry the presence of Crowe. Heath we will miss you - it was a joy watching you work - I hope life gave as much as it took my friend.

No doubt…like the beatles - the foreign invasion has arrived and it’s not going anywhere, anyhow, anytime soon. Every time I go to a film starring the following actors, I am reminded of their isolated greatness - the best actors currently working are Russell Crowe, Christian Bale and DD Lewis (back from the dead) - refreshing, although not surprising, the actor, turned cobbler, turned actor again…returned to his post, and promptly reminded us of his relevance in todays personality driven, film making wasteland. So nice to see some intensity back on the screen…oops I know Ryan Phillipe had a lot of us excited for his next release after the towering, “Flags of our Fathers” TDF, but in the interim go witness…better yet, experience a powerful film performance in ‘There Will Be Blood’…I’m in for a second helping.

I have had countless conversations about film actors/films in general, but nothing sparks a debate like Bale’s acting in American Psycho - the first time I caught this film was a late night cable venture, sans cocktails. Another Scottsdale soiree that frequently has me checking my pulse for signs of a beat - talk about valley of the dolls - this place is a mortuary for the living. Taking in the first few minute of the movie I found myself slack jawed, and smiling at what I considered to be some of the worst film acting I had ever seen - I think it was the scene where he was explaining the virtues of Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of all” a knuckle gargling number one smash, that always made me wretch - in fact, I found the dialogue and delivery so stilted, so ridiculous, so repulsive, so just…wrong, I changed channels…but then something interesting happened - although I feigned disgust for a decided few moments, I returned to view the remains - I never broke away…In retrospect, I think what I witnessed was acting brilliance, a form of character removal so desperate, so absurd, it became compellingly comical. I wouldnt call it Bale’s best work- would you call it his worst? No doubt he’s proven himself a committed actor, if you’ve ever witnessed The Machinist - you’ll understand what I’m talking about - NOW THATS COMMITTED! ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR YOUR ART…this man just might be.

The character’s rant on the ills of 80’s America has become for me and most of my friends a bi-polar experience - most agree it was a compelling to watch - most are undecided on its genius…

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