Comments by "Morgan King" (@MorganKing95) on "Top 10 Actors Who Haven't Won an Oscar" video.
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I’ve watched ”Django Unchained” three times, and even tried to just watch his scenes, but I frequently forget about him. He personally said that playing that character was very disturbing and uncomfortable, and he was advised to take it all the way, but I can see that he didn’t. If a villain character is going to interest me and be memorable, then I have three minimum requirements:
- Highlight the contrasts between the villain’s good and bad sides. I’ve liked previous villains like Norman Bates, Hannibal Lecter, Aaron Stampler, Bill the Butcher, and Idi Amin because they at first either looked very innocent so that I sympathized with them or that they were very sympathetic towards the main character so that they earned my faith. But then I got completely shocked when they showed their true colors. Villains like Amon Göth and Hans Landa on the other hand managed to highlight the contrasts because they were very charming towards a character, and that worked very well too. Calvin Candie however is someone I would never trust, and he doesn’t seem to be sympathetic towards anyone, and I don’t think he looks charming and handsome at all.
- Give me some images and moments that make the villain memorable. Yes, it’s very impressive that he kept his head cool after really hurting his hand on that glass, but that’s one moment and it’s only memorable because it was completely real. And I got tired of watching him with that nose in the air attitude and standing with that cigarette holder. I also blame much on the direction of several of his scenes. Many of the scenes where Calvin Candie is being sadistic and violent could have been very shocking and memorable, but the other actors’ reaction to this scenes and the way they get treated by him seem very over the top and unnatural, the kind that’s fitting for a black comedy. I remember Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) from “Gangs of New York” very much because he gave me several images and memorable quotes (For example “I will teach you to speak English with this fucking knife”, “What will it be then? Rib or chop? Loin or shank?”, and “On my challenge, by the ancient laws of combat, we are met on this chosen ground to settle for good and all!”), and when he was raising his voice, he used his entire body to project that power and intensity, and I have never seen anyone who has managed to give such an intensity that Daniel Day-Lewis always shows in his line delivery. And I remember very well his physical actions like the way he opened his arms when he yelled “This is a night for a America!”, the way he threw those knives at Cameron Diaz, and when he threw that axe in the air so that it started spinning and crashed down right next to DiCaprio.
- Make the villain complex and well-developed so that I have some thoughts after watching him/her. I don’t understand what’s so special about Calvin Candie, he just seems to be the representation of the plantation owner during the Civil War, and he’s just sadistic, that’s all.
And in terms of the performance itself, I thought DiCaprio’s line delivery often sounded very over the top, and I don’t get what his intensions are with these lines. His line delivery reminded me of the film actors in the 30’s and 40’s like Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, and Clark Gable. (They were major stars of course, but there’s a new generation of actors now) I didn’t like his southern accent that much either, and it sounded too flamboyant. The way he raised his voice during the skull scene could have been a good highlight, but it also sounded unnatural, and villains who are screaming and shouting a lot just aren’t scary. And when he tried to be calm in a frightening way, it sounded like he was holding back and afraid to take it all the way. Some of it also reminded me of when he played Romeo Montague, and the way he acted that death scene looked more fitting for theatre than film.
I really wish to see another performance like “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, because that’s a role I can’t picture many actors being able to perform; that’s really the most challenging role he has ever played. But lately, I’ve mostly seen him playing that handsome and rich guy that always tries to be charming, and often wears a suit, and occasionally raises his voice to not seem passive. There are tons of actors I can imagine playing his roles, maybe even better, and I want to see a different side of DiCaprio
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Shang Tsung He's maybe one of the best actors today, but definitely not of all time. Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, and Spencer Tracy are considered to be some of the greatest actors of the 20th century, and other legendary actors include Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, James Dean, Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable, James Stewart, James Cagney, Gary Cooper, and Cary Grant.
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Warp2567 Peter O'Toole had many other great performances than just "Lawrence of Arabia": "Becket", "Lion in Winter", "The Ruling Class", "Goodbye mr. Chips", "Venus", "The Stunt man", "My favorite year". If you haven't seen those movies, then check out some movie clips from them on Youtube. He also did a great voice acting job in "Ratatouille", and I thought he did a better job in "Troy" than most of the other actors in that film.
O'Toole was also a great Shakespearean actor, and his line delivery was so calm and pleasant, as well as poetic, and there is always something distinctive about each of his performances. Not to mention that he had covered so many genres.
I really can't believe that a man with 8 Oscar nominations, 4 BAFTA nominations, and 10 Golden Globe nominations never won a single Oscar. I guess he had really tough competition or that his movies just wasn't popular enough.
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+theGoldenboy111111
One thing I would be looking for is exceptionality. The only movie I have seen with him standing out from the rest, doing a really challenging role, and doing something I would not expect is "What's Eating Gilbert Grape". In his other movies, I expect the performance from him because I have seen him do something similar previously, or the performance just doesn't stand out from the other actors in the film. He also looks too "comfortable"; a great performance would be that he stepped out of his comfort zone
Many people will use "Django Unchained" as an example of exceptionality, but I just don't like that performance; his line delivery lacked motivation and intention, he tried too hard to be evil and authoritative, many of his close-ups reminded me of either "Titanic" or "Romeo and Juliet", and his rant near the end started at the "boiling point" instead of giving it time to build up. Yes, he really hurt his hand and still kept his head cool, but I would not use that moment alone to give him a nomination. His death scene also looked too staged, and I got tired of seeing him with that cigarette holder (which is also the only image I have of him in my head)
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Walter Frith Jack Nicholson is considered to be a method actor, and went to Actors Studio. But to be honest, he doesn't remind me of one that much compared to Day-Lewis, Christian Bale, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert de Niro. It's probably because Method Acting has changed so much over the years, because if you read Lee Strasberg's notes, it doesn't say much about losing and gaining weight, or live as your character; it's more about personal memories and experiences, and substituting the given circumstances with them. It does talk about characters, but not that you have to behave like them the whole time or change your physiques. You still find the way your character would feel and react to the situation though. It's hard to explain, you just have to read about it yourself
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James Santiago
Well, I have went to acting school, as well as a monologue workshop with an actress turned director, I have read the biography of Sanford Meisner and read "The Lee Strasberg Notes", and I was recently assistant director for a theatre production.
- Did my teachers criticize their students for sounding and looking the same? Not at all, they focused on storytelling and expressivity (which means to be clear in what you're trying to say and do)
- Did Meisner focus on character work and emotions? No, he objected to it and focused on physical action and reacting to your partner, as well as repeating your lines to make them sound natural.
- Did Lee Strasberg focus on character work and emotions? A lot, but the main core of his theories (aka. Method Acting) was to substitute the given circumstances with your own personal experiences and memories
- Did the director I was assistant for care about the actors "transforming" into the character? No, she did not, it was all about reaction and interaction, physical action, subtext, and what happens between the line exchanges
I was also given a booklet from the main acting school in my country during a theatre production, and it was also all about subtext and intentions. I have also got information from that school that they actually want their students to be themselves, because their philosophy is that a really great actor is someone who can capture the essence of a character and still be true to himself and his own personality.
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James Santiago
First of all, English is not my first language
Second of all, I'm not speaking on behalf of myself, I'm referring to professional directors and acting teachers and their philosophy on acting. You do realize that Strasberg trained actors like Al Pacino, James Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Harvey Keitel, and Ellen Burstyn, while Meisner trained actors like Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and James Caan? We also have Stella Adler who trained Marlon Brando, Robert de Niro, and Warren Beatty. Do you think you know more about acting than the teachers I mentioned? Virtually everything you have mentioned have been denied by them.
Googling things? Oh please, finding information about acting on Google is the worst thing you can do. I only read books on acting or attend workshops and productions
Yes, staying to true to yourself is essential because the audience needs to be sure that they can replace the character’s name with the actor’s in order to believe in the situations. Otherwise, they will become indifferent
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James Santiago
Oh my God, another one of those pretentious adult snobs who look down on younger people for no reason.
If you know so much, then why haven't you gone to any acting schools, don't use any acting terms, or refer to any acting directors or teachers? You even admitted that you're just an audience member. You're the one who comes up with statements without a single reasonable argument, and I can guarantee you that every director or teacher I have met or worked with will disagree with virtually everything you have claimed here
My statements are at least backed up by the theories and philosophies of influential acting teachers like Strasberg, Meisner, and Adler, whom you don't seem to know anything about since you just shove them aside. If you have paid any attention, then you will hopefully see that I refer to adults' view on acting. What's next? You participate in a discussion around ethics or aesthetics and shove aside Aristoteles, Plato, Kant, and Hume just because someone younger than you refer to them?
"Adults"? Don't make me laugh. The way you come off, I don't see an adult at all, I only see a pretentious, grumpy, overgrown troll who has nothing better to do in his life than to act condescending. Real adults have at least learnt some manners, or are you just one of those cranky loners who isolate themselves from the rest of the world?
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