Misdelivered lines

[robn1]

Uhura's delivery of "It's all how we all feel" instead of "It's all how we all feel" from The Motion Picture has always been my standout line.

Normally perhaps, but in the case of Spock it was the emotion that needed emphasis. The delivery here always made sense to me.

 

[SSgt Burton]

When it comes to "interesting" inflections, Walken is in a class by himself.

And Shatner teaches that class.


"Amok Time" (Kirk is just told by McCoy that Spock will die in three days if he does not get to Vulcan beforehand):


Kirk: "WHY... Must! He! Die! Whyafterthreedays!?!


Kevin

 

[PHArchivist]

It helps if the screenwriter underlines such words. But you have to be careful not to look like you're telling your talent how to act.

This is very true... I'd agree - or, my understanding of scriptwiring is - that the writer needs to be very careful not to overstep the boundries by becoming Director and Actor via the script.

One thing that amazes me though is - especially with the more clear examples - that not only does the actor seemingly mess it up a bit, but it also goes past the director and editor.

 

[Dave Ward]

Then there's the "part time" from Crystal Skull.

 

[Zombie_61]

And Shatner teaches that class.

"Amok Time" (Kirk is just told by McCoy that Spock will die in three days if he does not get to Vulcan beforehand):

Kirk: "WHY... Must! He! Die! Whyafterthreedays!?!

Kevin

Very true! Not to mention Shatner's unique pronunciation of certain words that can't be attributed to his Canadian upbringing.

Then there's the "part time" from Crystal Skull.

I concur. The way the line was delivered in the trailer was much better than in the movie.

Recently I've been watching the 1949 Batman and Robin serials from Columbia, and there are some truly unique line deliveries in those. I realize acting styles were different in those days, especially in those less-than-stellar productions, but it makes you wonder if any of the actors had ever listened to the way people spoke in real life.

 

[sworrubs]

Ah! Nothing pulls me out of a movie more than misdelivered lines! I think part of me just stops and can't understand how they've been allowed through to the final print.

ADR is a reasonably common practise but it shouldn't ever get that far, Directors have headphones for a reason - and if they don't, they should! I wouldn't even class it as bad acting.. it's just.. ahhh! Haha I guess to me that's the bread and butter of a movie: even if it's terribly written dialogue, the least you can do is understand what you're saying, if not why.

Too distraught to think of any examples right now mind you...

 

[southcenter]

The Matrix

This one has always bugged me. When Neo interrupts Cypher on his Midnight shift, he asks him, "Do you always view it encoded".

Cypher's reply is, "The image translators work FOR the construct program - but there's way too much information to decode the Matrix."

There really shouldn't be any emphasis in that first part, but Joe Pantoliano really bungles it.

The first few times I saw it I had no idea what he was trying to tell Neo and it was only after repeated viewings that I finally figured out that they were referring to the "TV" version of the construct that the crew had been watching during the fight between Neo and Morpheus. :facepalm

 

[PHArchivist]

Ah! Nothing pulls me out of a movie more than misdelivered lines! I think part of me just stops and can't understand how they've been allowed through to the final print.

ADR is a reasonably common practise but it shouldn't ever get that far, Directors have headphones for a reason - and if they don't, they should! I wouldn't even class it as bad acting.. it's just.. ahhh! Haha I guess to me that's the bread and butter of a movie: even if it's terribly written dialogue, the least you can do is understand what you're saying, if not why.

Too distraught to think of any examples right now mind you...

There's one in every crowd...

 

[ave4uevoli]

Is this like that thread we just had on the dark knight intro sequence where that dude is asking if pulling off the mask would be painful? (a line which I itself seemed very forced) and Bane responds, "...for you."

I think that line was bungled because it was actually debated whether or not bane was making a threat or not. Bane should always be threatening and more emphasis should have been given to that.

 

[aeonpulse]

This isn't entirely related, but my all time favorite delivery screw-up would have to be from Kevin Sorbo in an episode of "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys".

The script apparently called for Sorbo to act "disappointed" after delivering the line "Wait a minute... This isn't my world!" Instead, he confused "disappointed" as part of the dialogue.

Hercules - DISAPPOINTED - YouTube

 

[hankey01]

Then there's the "part time" from Crystal Skull.

And I noticed the trailer had a much more powerful delivery of this line. The one in the movie was weak!

 

[sworrubs]

There's one in every crowd...

Haha, yes indeed . There's an ounce of regret involved but you have to ingratiate yourself somehow! Maybe next time...

I find it irksome the amount of iterations a vfx shot for instance will go through in comparison to what is let through during shooting, let alone the edit... Though I digress and think it might be a deeper grief manifesting itself

 

[JD]

Let's add every single line Bane had in Dark Knight Returns.

I've never seen such a terrible delivery in a mainstream motion picture.

Yes, it was a decision to have Bane speak like that... but, I'd wager most of the "misdelivered lines" listed here were intentional.

 

[nickytea]

Let's add every single line Bane had in Dark Knight Returns.

I've never seen such a terrible delivery in a mainstream motion picture.

I get that you don't like the dialect, but I thought his interpretive inflection was absolutely perfect. Can you point to a specific line you think he misdelivered?

 

[JD]

I get that you don't like the dialect, but I thought his interpretive inflection was absolutely perfect. Can you point to a specific line you think he misdelivered?

All of them.

Also read my entire post.

 

[Kerr Avon]

Let's add every single line Bane had in Dark Knight Returns.

I've never seen such a terrible delivery in a mainstream motion picture.

Yes, it was a decision to have Bane speak like that... but, I'd wager most of the "misdelivered lines" listed here were intentional.

Better than having lines no one can make out what he is saying.

 

[nickytea]

All of them.

Also read my entire post.

I did. Thoroughly. Attempt to comprehend mine.

Look at the rest of this thread. Folks are contributing specific breakdowns of intonations they find to be out of place with either logic or their interpretation of the text.

Something like this:

BANE: Or perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man, before throwing him out of a plane.

The stress is put on "shoot" a "throwing." This is an example of the text-scanning technique called antithesis: stressing words of opposing conceptual implication to highlight the intended juxtaposition/sarcasm/irony/etc.

That's what this thread is about, isn't it?
You're free to start your own "Dialogue I don't like" thread, where your entire post would be "Anything in a Nolan Batman movie."

 

[Jodo]

Or "Haaaavey Dent!" as Bane tears up the poster....I hated how he said that....

Also, one of the many problems in KOTCS, but when Indy says "Part time" to Mutt....The trailer version sounds exactly how I would imagine it, but the movie version is horrible.

 

[JD]

I did. Thoroughly. Attempt to comprehend mine.

Look at the rest of this thread. Folks are contributing specific breakdowns of intonations they find to be out of place with either logic or their interpretation of the text.

Something like this:

BANE: Or perhaps he's wondering why someone would shoot a man, before throwing him out of a plane.

The stress is put on "shoot" a "throwing." This is an example of the text-scanning technique called antithesis: stressing words of opposing conceptual implication to highlight the intended juxtaposition/sarcasm/irony/etc.

That's what this thread is about, isn't it?
You're free to start your own "Dialogue I don't like" thread, where your entire post would be "Anything in a Nolan Batman movie."

This thread is about misdelivered lines... actually, it's about folks that don't like the delivery of certain lines.

As I said a few posts up, I think most of the "misdelivered" lines are intentional. I also state that the Bane delivery is more than likely deliberate.

I don't have the screenplay, a copy of the movie or the time to type out every single line Bane said in Dark Knight Returns and then notate it with italics. I think it was a poor choice of dialect, accent and accentuation...

 

[PHArchivist]

Or "Haaaavey Dent!" as Bane tears up the poster....I hated how he said that....

Also, one of the many problems in KOTCS, but when Indy says "Part time" to Mutt....The trailer version sounds exactly how I would imagine it, but the movie version is horrible.

This "Part time" line has been mentioned a few times now, but (perhaps thankfully?) I do not know the film well enough to recall it.

Cue my memory...?