Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Pre-release)

seelsa73 · Mar 15, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Michael Bergeron said:
Zombie_61 said:

Which begs the question: Was that due to Jackson's acting skills or Lucas' direction?

Click to expand...

Lucas is a bad director for actors, it's pretty much accepted knowledge. IMO everyone had the same slate to work with (both OT and PT) so it's up to the actors to take ownership of their characters.

So, it was on Sam.

GL told the actors to speak the dialogue that way, therefore you can not fault them at all. Every single one of the actors could have made the dialogue work (for the most part) if not for Lucas direction.

Michael Bergeron · Mar 15, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

seelsa73 said:
GL told the actors to speak the dialogue that way, therefore you can not fault them at all. Every single one of the actors could have made the dialogue work (for the most part) if not for Lucas direction.

Then how come a few of the actors were able to inject character into their roles?

Edwardowan · Mar 15, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

jcoffman99 said:
That Ford guy is going to go far...

You heard it here first.

seelsa73 · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Michael Bergeron said:
Then how come a few of the actors were able to inject character into their roles?

There's a big difference between good character and dialogue delivery...there are plenty of movies with terrible characters with awesome dialogue and visa versa

seelsa73 · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Edwardowan said:

Love it.

Michael Bergeron · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

seelsa73 said:
There's a big difference between good character and dialogue delivery...there are plenty of movies with terrible characters with awesome dialogue and visa versa

There's also a difference between a performance that sounds like it's read off a page and one that sounds like it's got some heart in it.

I like SLJ, he's a great actor, but he was miscast and subsequently didn't do much of anything in the role. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Jannix Quinn · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

He's not an actor. He's the same in everything.

Michael Bergeron · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Jannix Quinn said:
He's not an actor. He's the same in everything.

Well he's very good at that one thing then.

Edwardowan · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Jannix Quinn said:
He's not an actor. He's the same in everything.

yup. like I said, Sam Jackson plays Sam Jackson.

(Gawd would someone please tell the RPF Staff to give us our old emoticons back already! these fat fluffy cheesy smurf-like emoticons suck! )2 cents

nickytea · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Jannix Quinn said:
He's not an actor. He's the same in everything.

jme3 · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Zombie_61 said:
In the PT movies, it seems to me that the actors portraying characters that were introduced in the OT (i.e., Ian McDiarmid as Palpatine/Sidious, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, Peter Mayhew as Chewbacca, etc.) were given more leeway to re-create those characters as we know them, while the actors portraying "new" characters introduced in the PT movies were as stiff as dried-out driftwood.

Something noteworthy in the contrast above is that pretty much all (except Chewbacca, who didn't speak) the actors whose lines were delivered well were English, the rest American. American actors usually have problems with formal dialog, owing to our more casual nature presumably. Natalie Portman's portrayal of Padme is a perfect example; nothing she said sounded natural, whereas Ian McDiarmid, Ewan McGregor, Anthony Daniels, etc., can deliver lines without contracted words perfectly.

Brent M · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Zombie_61 said:
Which begs the question: Was that due to Jackson's acting skills or Lucas' direction?

Without a doubt it was Lucas' direction. Just look at SLJ in any Tarantino film, The Long Kiss Goodnight, A Time to Kill, etc. The man can act his ass off, but when he's given direction like he got from Lucas....well, you see the end result. The same can be said for just about everyone else in the PT except for Ian McDiarmid who was still able to give great performances in spite of Lucas' direction and wooden dialogue.

Probe Droid · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

For me, Jackson lost it after he became mainstream popular with Pulp Fiction. You see him in prior films, and he's really playing the character. He was good in PF but he's been mostly the same in every film since. I can't watch him without thinking "this is Sam Jackson acting." Same with Kevin Spacey after Usual Suspects. Ruined him as a character actor.

seelsa73 · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Brent M said:
Without a doubt it was Lucas' direction. Just look at SLJ in any Tarantino film, The Long Kiss Goodnight, A Time to Kill, etc. The man can act his ass off, but when he's given direction like he got from Lucas....well, you see the end result. The same can be said for just about everyone else in the PT except for Ian McDiarmid who was still able to give great performances in spite of Lucas' direction and wooden dialogue.

His acting took a dip in AotC if you ask me. But i do think he was the best of them all in the PT, with Ewan McGregor a close second.

Michael Bergeron · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

I'd say Ian McDiarmid was the best of the PT cast followed by Frank Oz, Ewan, Anthony Daniels, and then Liam. SLJ isn't on that list at all. If Mace had been a bit more of a badass it would have worked I think.

jme3 · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

seelsa73 said:
His acting took a dip in AotC if you ask me. But i do think he was the best of them all in the PT, with Ewan McGregor a close second.

You are kidding, aren't you? :confused

Edwardowan · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

seelsa73 said:
His acting took a dip in AotC if you ask me. But i do think he was the best of them all in the PT, with Ewan McGregor a close second.

Hulk sMASh!!!

Jannix Quinn · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

nickytea said:

Ok. Acting is where you pretend to be someone else.

Samuel Jackson is always the 'guy with attitude'. Always. If you say he's in a movie, you know EXACTLY what you're getting. I can't think of an example where he's different. Having said that, I don't watch many of his movies because he sucks.

Contrast a real actor like, say, Bryan Cranston or Gary Oldman and you'll see what I mean.

Dave Ward · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Actually, you can simultaneously be the guy that always plays the same character, and the best actor in a film. Neeson, Jackson, Christensen and McGregor were all playing dull-as-ditchwater Jedi Knights. Samuel L. Jackson was the only one that was even slightly credible IMO.

nickytea · Mar 16, 2013

Re: Re: Star Wars Episode VII

Jannix Quinn said:
Ok. Acting is where you pretend to be someone else.

Not every method of acting would agree with that. Many are centered around indentifying and honing in on aspects of the performer's own personality that are complimentary or supportive of the character.

I don't have an opinion on Jackson one way or the other, I just feel like it's a narrow view to condemn a performer on the bredth of the work rather than the quality.

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