She could have thought of something else to do to make him happy. She should have spared no expense.

Until you have to read his dialogue.

I think Hayden Christensen would have given a fine performance as Anakin in those circumstances. Christensen showed me that he could act in "Shattered Glass" and he's got at least some presence. I mean, look how awful James Earl Jones was at the end of Sith? The prequels are no barometer for any of the actor's…

Your analogy also shows how it won't just taste bad bud you'd lose the opportunity to eat it properly as a good breakfast. That's one of the reasons the prequels are so disparaged (beside the fact they're just bad) is that there was once chance to take the great ideas and link them together properly. Beyond getting a…

Well, Star Wars (it's not "Ep. IV" or "A New Hope") implied pretty heavily that Obi-Wan knew Luke before they met in the movie.
I don't know that you would want to make a trilogy out of it, but a smaller movie set exclusively on Tatooine that sets up the conflict between Obi-Wan and Uncle Ben, introduces a young Luke…

I'd prefer if the cartwheeled a lot more.

I dunno. Hopkins's performance seems overdone mainly by virtue of a hindsight drenched with everybody quoting all the good lines and other interpretations seeming "better" possibly just because their newer.
I remember when Silence of the Lambs came out. Nobody was really prepared for it. Hopkins pretty much sat out the…

So the scenes where you argue O'Toole is asked to act larger than life (when Lawrence actually would) overshadows the rest of the performance which is brilliantly nuanced? That's basically my point, though it's more related to the weight the role and movie gained over time making it difficult to see in perspective.
T…

I had problems with the character- that weren't because of Rylance- that nonetheless make impossible for me to appreciate the performance. Namely, the willing fabrication of the real spy he portrayed in order to make Spielberg's theme more palatable and Spielberg's typical heavy handed direction.

I always appreciate seeing a serious actor still be able to not take his profession so seriously he can't have fun too. I remember, in an interview with Larry King some time in the late 90s, that Hopkins said "no more characters dead from the neck up". Even then, he could still manage to be great in movies like…

Yes. After everything they went through, they finally got to ride the rides at Wally World.

I think Mamet's argument is that what is typically considered by Hollywood as "naturalistic" (Method) acting really isn't- at least the more modern iteration. The performances Brando gave in the 50s, to me, don't compare to the "Look At Me" acting I see from most current Method actors.

Haven't seen that film in ages but I couldn't agree more. Especially re: Ermey.

I would also like to nominate Robert Duvall and Alec Guinness as the respective kings of D’Angelo's great acting.

For me, there's also a fourth slot which is great acting inflated as Great Acting over time. For example, the world was taken aback by unknown Peter O'Toole's performance in Lawrence of Arabia. Over time the movie and role has become so ingrained in movie lore that the brilliant subtlety of O'Toole's performance is…

Great. Now I get to get drunk and fool around with full orchestral participation.

The Mrs. and I saw the NSO perform during Loony Tunes cartoons. It was perfection.

Springtime for Hitler, then.

I don't understand the headline and I won't comment on it.

Clearly Mayor McCheese has been taking notes from "House of Cards" on how to neutralize obstacles to power.