Things that didn't "sell" the character to you.

[TheStig]

I know it's easy to bag on Hayden in the prequels, but honestly, I think he as an ACTOR gets a bad rap. Check him out in Shattered Glass. He takes the weaknesses of the Anakin role (the whiny aspect) and turns them into real strengths, and he plays a smarmy little snot EXTREMELY well. Seriously, I was impressed by it, especially having only seen him in the prequels otherwise.

A lot of times, an actor -- especially a starting actor in a high profile role -- is stuck with the words on the page and the direction they're given. Anakin was a wooden CHARACTER, and Lucas as a director is not known for giving his actors a ton of guidance. I seem to recall other actors saying that his approach was basically to say things like "Faster. More excited." No deeper context, no insight into the characters to help the actors get inside their heads, etc. "Sadder. Louder."

I like a lot of the problem was with the script too. Just look at Portman and McGregor, both are great actors. But they struggled with what was given to them. There's a story that Harrison Ford once told him "You can write this ***** down but you sure as hell can't say it."

Hell, those movies made Samuel L Jackson look dull and boring. I didn't think that was possible.

 

[ShadowX81]

I have one that just ruins any Military movie for me. Stops it dead.

When I see actors, dressed as soldiers, marines, etc, that do not follow the standard dress code. IE haircuts, uniform standards and the two biggest peeves of all?

Shoelaces and hats (or "covers")!

I swear to god! These kills me. My army brothers here can back me up. We are taught to tuck in those laces, to the point where someone will stamp on your foot because they see a "snake"! Its a safety issue. You do not want to get a lace caught on something and trip. Like something in a humvee when trying to dismount in a hurry, etc

Also, The Army policy on covers is that it is worn where the bottom part of the hat would be parallel to the marching surface.

So, when I see these things the whole premise is blown. How hard would it be to hire someone, or even if the costume/wardrobe dept had a copy or AR670-1? These standards are not hard to follow and it's the small details ("attention to detail, right?") that make the character believable.

Maybe that is just an army thing. For me in the Air Force (atleast from my experience in the officer community) as long as there are no major noticeable uniform errors, no one really cares about the tiny details like whether a shoe lace is untucked or the angle of a cover is exactly parallel to the ground. Even the haircut regs are a little felxable so long as you look professional.

 

[Solo4114]

I'd expect that on the military decor thing, it's probably more that Dale Dye is saying "But he wouldn't wear his hat this way," and the director says "Yes, Dale, we understand. But nobody's going to care or notice except guys like you. We're more concerned with, say, how they behave and how they hold their guns. So, stick with that, ok?"

You get that same kind of issue with a lot of historical dramas. Costumes or parts of military kit that are just...wrong. I'm sure there are Roman legionary historical reenactors who'd look at most roman films and say "But that's ridiculous! By 280 AD, the lorica segmentata had fallen out of favor and given way to early chainmail!" or whatever. (I don't know if this is true -- I think it isn't, actually -- but you get my point.)

History geeks (and I'm using that term affectionately, as I am one), are always gonna notice stuff like that, as I'd expect ex-mil guys and gals to do when watching war movies. And in the end, I think the story ends up the same. The "consultant," be it Catp. Dale Dye or Prof. Simon Egghead, Ph.D., can offer as much advice as the producers and director would like, but in the end....they're just makin' a movie. They're going for verisimilitude, not absolute 100% accuracy (unfortunately).

 

[Treadwell]

When you're shooting, you pick your battles. If you have a good take of a good performance, and someone points out there was ice in the glass earlier but now it's melted...you move on.

 

[aron42486]

For me, Toby Maguire as Peter Parker did not sell. I grew up with the McFarlane line of comics and loved Spider-man being such a wiseass.

For me Toby did not sell a good Parker/Spider-man. Especially in the third movie. Maybe it was Raimi's directing rather than the acting but either way I am hoping that the newest spidey movie can redeem it.

 

[Gryffindor1991]

Dobby. "Wheee! WHA-HOO!!! WHA-HEYYY!!" <jumping on bed> "Oh Mr. HARRY POTTER sir! Dobby is SO PLEASED to meet you sir! Dobby would SO LIKE to give you a foot massage sir! And maybe stalk you a little, sir!!"

Honestly. I don't CARE if it's in the book. Just snip the little creep out already.

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. I love Dobby he is just a fantastic character and he's such an important character. I hate how he was cut from Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix and Half Blood Prince and it was so devastating when he died. H'e couldn't be cut from Chamber of Secrets, because he was such a huge part in the plot, or Deathly Hallows because he rescued everyone from Malfoy Manor.

 

[Darth Crucius]

Obi Wan in ROTS walking off and leaving his dearest friend and 'brother' ON FIRE AND SCREAMING!!!!! How sadistic! That to me just goes against everything I believed about Obi Wan's nature. He went there expecting to kill Anakin and to do so at that point would have been a mercy... Wow! I can't believe I just got that emotional about ROTS! Maybe I could just not watch it lol.

 

[autoprops713]

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner (yeah, I said it). I always wondered what Deckard would've been like if another actor got the part....and cared about the role. Haha...I bet in his head Rutger was snapping Harrison's fingers and not Batty snapping Deckard's.

Keanu Reeves...:lol

 

[MFP 2020]

I know it's easy to bag on Hayden in the prequels, but honestly, I think he as an ACTOR gets a bad rap. Check him out in Shattered Glass. He takes the weaknesses of the Anakin role (the whiny aspect) and turns them into real strengths, and he plays a smarmy little snot EXTREMELY well. Seriously, I was impressed by it, especially having only seen him in the prequels otherwise.

I found HC tolerable in "Jumper" because he mostly just ran around and didn't have to talk much (although I think he was seriously upstaged by Jamie Bell). And even though I believed he was made of wood, based on the prequels, I found him perfect for "Shattered Glass."

Speaking of which, that was the movie in which I absolutely fell in love with Peter Sarsgaard. The exact moment: During the confrontation with Chloe Sevigny, when he says, "Don't you have any idea how much **** we're about to eat?" Yowza.

I have one that just ruins any Military movie for me. Stops it dead.

When I see actors, dressed as soldiers, marines, etc, that do not follow the standard dress code. IE haircuts, uniform standards and the two biggest peeves of all?

Shoelaces and hats (or "covers")!

Right there with you. I love "Under Siege" but it drives me batty that they couldn't get Seagal to cut his hair just a little bit more. And the Marine guard in the galley, with his collar-length hair and his cover pulled down almost to his ears?

Unsat! Plus he's obviously a PFC but the character's name is "Pvt. Nash," and when the OCS grads in "An Officer and a Gentlemen" keep calling Gunny Foley "Sergeant," and the character is listed as "Sgt. Emil Foley," and...and...ahhhhh-AHHHHHH!!!!! :eek

/Sam Kinison

 

[terryr]

Hayden Christensen going evil. Whiney and POed, yeah, but not EVIL. There was no depth there. He was some guy having a bad day.

 

[Contec]

Hayden Christensen going evil. Whiney and POed, yeah, but not EVIL. There was no depth there. He was some guy having a bad day.

yeah, a Whiney brat!

"they killed my mom....i gonna kill them...wah wah wah...." "the sand ....it get in everywere..."

"they won't make me a jedimaster wah wah wah...."

 

[CB2001]

Oh, and the Kevin Smith buddy cop film, "Stakeout"...better title: "Sellout". :lol

(disclosure: I didn't actually see the film... )

That's Cop Out you're talking about with Willis and by Kevin Smith. Stakeout has Richard Dreyfus, Emilio Estevez and Madeleine Stowe (and does NOT feature Bruce Willis in any shape, way or form).

 

[Treadwell]

That's Cop Out you're talking about with Willis and by Kevin Smith. Stakeout has Richard Dreyfus, Emilio Estevez and Madeleine Stowe (and does NOT feature Bruce Willis in any shape, way or form).

Ah, yes, quite! :angel

 

[Miker]

Although I do love some of Samuel L Jackson's work, his appearance as Mace Windu in the prequels has always baffled me, and that's to say nothing of the prequels themselves. When he sits Indian style next to the great Yoda and "ponders" in his force ways it makes me cringe. Never bought it from the second he walks on screen...I was lifted out of the movie enough to be like "hey look it's SLJ pretending to be a Jedi". ;(

 

[Master of Fear]

Eh, The entire Burton Batman stuff sucked, Characters and costumes. Many movie chracters, and movie scenes sucked. The one I hated most? Voldemorts Death in DHP2.
Did he die drammatically? No. Prolonged death? No he looked up in the air, hissed, and went Poof. End of story. My reaction, " You mean we've put up with this A-Hole through the series, and you Finish it Like That? *tableflip" As for Nolan's Batman, Imagine him ordering at the drive through. Sheesh.

 

[Steamboat Spidey]

No he looked up in the air, hissed, and went Poof. End of story. My reaction, " You mean we've put up with this A-Hole through the series, and you Finish it Like That? *tableflip"

:lol (post too short)

 

[allosaur176]

Will Ferrel in anything but SNL

 

[Flagg]

I am a huge fan of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, but there's one scene towards the end that pulls me out of the movie every time and ruins the whole "zombies are mindless killing machines" idea.

They are running up the staircase being chased by the horde and they come to the door that is locked and Steve has left so he can't let them in. the zombies come around the corner of the staircase at full bore and then stop, pause for a minute as they see everyone standing there with shotguns pointing at them and then run forward again.

That pause goes against everything setup in the whole movie. I loved in the start how you would see zombies peel off of a chase and tackle someone closer without a second thought.

 

[CB2001]

I am a huge fan of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, but there's one scene towards the end that pulls me out of the movie every time and ruins the whole "zombies are mindless killing machines" idea.

They are running up the staircase being chased by the horde and they come to the door that is locked and Steve has left so he can't let them in. the zombies come around the corner of the staircase at full bore and then stop, pause for a minute as they see everyone standing there with shotguns pointing at them and then run forward again.

That pause goes against everything setup in the whole movie. I loved in the start how you would see zombies peel off of a chase and tackle someone closer without a second thought.

It's called a "dramatic pause". Basically, it's meant to help build up anticipation, a little bit of suspense. It has nothing to do with the zombie's portrayal, it has to do with the director's choice. It's even used in non-zombie films too to make an emphasis. In the case you pointed out about, it emphasizes the impending doom for the characters in the stairwell.

 

[bleyd]

I always took that as a sort of nod do the fact that Prince was doing the soundtrack. In one of his songs he sings "Let's go crazy, let's get nuts."

That song was in Purple Rain. Prince did Who Do you Trust during the parade with Joker dancing to it.