[Tiste Simeon]

Seen a couple of films recently:

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS - I don't know what to think about this. In many ways it's just my thing, vast space cities and cool sci-fi effects and concepts and whatnot. Great effects and action sequences, and yet... Utterly terrible acting and pretty naff writing. I wanted to love it, I really did but I just couldn't quite get into it as much as I wanted to.

JOHN WICK 2 - Loved it so much, really enjoy the world building and concept of these films. The action is next level and so exciting. They took everything that made the first one great and made it better! Can't wait for the next installment.

[Malankazooie]

You see guys, this is how you do it. Josh Brolin, Goonies, and One-Eye'd Willy joke.


Man, the laughs me and my friends had as kids over "One-Eye'd Willy". If you only knew.

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 16 April 2018 - 03:10 PM, said:

Seen a couple of films recently:

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS - I don't know what to think about this. In many ways it's just my thing, vast space cities and cool sci-fi effects and concepts and whatnot. Great effects and action sequences, and yet... Utterly terrible acting and pretty naff writing. I wanted to love it, I really did but I just couldn't quite get into it as much as I wanted to.

Ah yeah, VALERIAN. I wanted more FIFTH ELEMENT, and instead I got some middling flick with a poor script. The only really good scenes in the film are the Rhianna scene, and the whole VR market. Otherwise, it fell quite flat for me...and I would argue that's because Dane Dehaan is about as interesting as wet paint, who had zero chemistry with the equally boring Cara Delevingne. I had higher hopes on that one.

Tiste Simeon, on 16 April 2018 - 03:10 PM, said:

JOHN WICK 2 - Loved it so much, really enjoy the world building and concept of these films. The action is next level and so exciting. They took everything that made the first one great and made it better! Can't wait for the next installment.

Ack, we haven't had a chance to watch it yet! Cannot wait. LOVED the first one.

[worry]

I liked Valerian a lot, despite the world record-level miscasting of DeHaan. :/
JW2 does rule though.

[Slow Ben]

I've been trying to start the first John Wick for years. Need to get on that.

[Malankazooie]

First John Wick is excellent. I still need to watch JW2 before the Starz series begins.

I will say about John Wick (and I'm sure it's the case with JW2), the dead dog had more lines then Keanu Reeves. Not sure what that says. Maybe it's just the way the character is written? Or has Reeves' acting chops so declined with age (not like he was a great actor to begin with anyway) that they just want his form? I mean, as actors go, because of his interests in the art form, he is ideal for action movies that employ a lot of physical fighting and gun gymnastics.

[amphibian]

Keanu is a very good actor within a certain wheelhouse. If he's put in the right role, he'll do a great job, especially if there's physical intensity to express. This was apparent even in his Bill and Ted days, with the intensity being goofy which in later movies became vengeful or heroic.

Outside that wheelhouse, he does struggle - but that may be because he's not been put into the right romantic or right drama roles.

His gun and physical combat stunt work is top notch for the industry. It's literally the gold standard beyond even Tom Cruise. His signing isn't bad, which is far beyond most people. And he's easy to connect to when the emotions of the story are simple. That goes a long way.

There's many more versatile actors and actors who are better at gun work or combat work, but basically nobody can do all of what he does with the John Wick movies.

It's kinda like casting Bill Nighy. You don't book him as a bubbly receptionist even though he could probably give it a good try. You book him in an intimidation role. Or someone like Melissa McCarthy who pretty much has to be in a bubbly role in order to do her best work.

I'm not usually one for pigeon holing people, but not everyone can do every role. Having huge range is genuinely difficult in any profession, much less acting in millions of dollars budget movies.

[worry]

Yah, I agree with all of that. I don't think versatility is overrated, per se, but being really good in a niche range shouldn't be looked down upon. And what harm does it do for a limited actor to test him or herself once in a while? Sure sometimes that means you get Keanu's Much Ado About Nothing performance, but other times you get pleasant surprises, like his really effective villain turn in The Gift.

[polishgenius]

In terms of the question as it relates specifically to John Wick- I'm pretty sure Keanue got few lines in that film because he was, essentially, playing the movie monster once things got started, and it's easier to maintain the enigma of that kind of position with less speech.

But yeah, physical expression has always been his strength over face and voice anyway.

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There's many more versatile actors and actors who are better at gun work or combat work, but basically nobody can do all of what he does with the John Wick movies.

I reckon Donnie Yen could if he could check his action-ego and allow himself to be in roles, especially when he's the lead, where his character actually takes damage. He's got a superb expressivity about him.
Although I don't know how he is with guns on the action side.

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His gun and physical combat stunt work is top notch for the industry. It's literally the gold standard beyond even Tom Cruise.

Jason Statham!

[Aptorian]

I agree about Reeves limitations but I also think that he has a lot of untapped potential as a villain character.

I saw him in Man of Tai Chi and thought he stole the show as a menacing and merciless fight manager. Wouldn't mind seeing more of that.

[Malankazooie]

The Bill & Ted 3 movie is supposed to be happening. I don't know anything about it. I guess I'm interested to see what they produce, but more so it will be interesting to see how Reeves steps into that role again. A middle aged brah from the valley going "whoa" and "dude!" may not be received so well in 2018 on (probably would have worked in the late 80s though).

[Macros]

read an interview with them both a few weeks ago, cautiously looking forward to it though

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 18 April 2018 - 09:22 AM, said:

read an interview with them both a few weeks ago, cautiously looking forward to it though

Accompanying Reunion pic from last issue of EW! (Note that Alex is wearing a shirt with Napoleon on it! Avec Mes WATERSLIDES!)

 B&T3.jpg (105.2K)
Number of downloads: 0

Also, to add to the Keanu discussion. He's EASILY in my top five fave actors of all time.

This post has been edited by QuickTidal: 18 April 2018 - 12:49 PM

[Macros]

I like Keanu.

At times he seems to have the acting ability of a wooden plank (possibly being out of his niche/comfort zone). But he seems like a genuinely nice guy from what I've read about him and seen in interviews. And he has been in some brilliant films.

[QuickTidal]

Indeed.

"Humble" and "nice guy" actors go a LONG way in my books to me ranking them as favourites. People like Keanu, Adam Sandler (whether you like his movies, he's apparently a GREAT guy IRL), Ryan Reynolds, Chris Evans, Hugh Jackman...it adds an extra level to me when I enjoy their performance and I know that in real life they are decent people.

[Malankazooie]

Did anyone decipher what those commercials that debuted during the Super Bowl were about?

[Macros]

was sandler not caught up in the recent swathe of holywood stars touted as being sex pests?

[Macros]

Malankazooie, on 18 April 2018 - 02:15 PM, said:

Did anyone decipher what those commercials that debuted during the Super Bowl were about?

fairly sure thats for squaresoft, a build it yourself web design type company like wix?

[Macros]

squarespace

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 18 April 2018 - 02:21 PM, said:

was sandler not caught up in the recent swathe of holywood stars touted as being sex pests?

From what I've seen, the only thing was when he was on Graham Norton recently, he made a knee-touching gesture twice while chatting to Claire Foy who was sitting next to her, and Foy moved his hand back to his knee.

This incident is pretty quick, and seems to me to be an absent-minded gesture on his part with him not realizing...and Foy has come out to say she wasn't offended.

It's also noted therein that he did the same thing to Dustin Hoffman in a recent interview they were both in. And it's an identical gesture (at the 1:29min mark) I would chalk it up to him just being the type that does that kind of gesture and not think about it. I mean hopefully this particular incident with Foy means he will be more thoughtful about it in the future...I personally don't like random people touching me in any way (a guy at my work used to pat my shoulders in a friendly way, and I'd always tense up)...but I seriously doubt his intent was insidious.