Fences (2016)

I totally checked out after an hour (and the movie is nearly two and a half hours long) 🙈

It’s painfully obvious this was adapted straight from a stage play. The entire runtime is just endless, drawn-out monologues from Denzel Washington about topics I couldn't even wrap my head around because he talks way too fast... the subtitles were basically flying across the screen at a hundred miles an hour.

The rest of the cast? They’re basically just there to act as a backdrop for his preaching. And when they actually do get a line in, they talk with that rapid-fire pace you see from those two characters on "Gilmorica," just loaded with urban slang 🙂

@Rachel Young3/">@@Rachel Young3
I'm sorry to hear the movie didn't land for you, but personally, I found it quite compelling. I suppose I just have a weakness for stage-style adaptations—pure, unadulterated drama, nothing more, nothing less.

What we have here is a patriarch whose word is absolute law. I watched it without subtitles, so the lack of dialogue nuance didn't particularly bother me.🙂

I tried watching it without subtitles, but I just couldn't focus on what they were actually saying... plus, if they even mumble a word, it’s totally lost on me. 🙂

What other movies have been adapted from stage plays?
I remember watching Mother Night—that was actually decent, even though it was just two actresses on screen talking the whole time. But honestly, that might be because I’d already read the play beforehand. And the actresses didn't talk in that exhausting, rapid-fire way these people do... watching this feels like a workout. I'm practically sweating just trying to follow along, like I'm biking uphill or something. 🙈

Rachel Young3 said:What other movies were actually adapted from stage plays?

Long Day's Journey into Night.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, along with a whole heap of others born from the pen of Tennessee Williams.

I watched Mack too a long time ago
Back when I was just a kid, watching without subtitles (those old movies used to air right after Cartoon Network 🙈)...
Obviously, I had zero clue what they were actually shouting about, but it broke my heart seeing how that guy in the cast behaved toward his wife 🤣.

If "Hidden Figures" doesn't hit the mark for me, then he might as well just go buy a La La Land Oscar 🙂...

Rachel Young3 said:I watched Mack a long time ago
Back when I was just a kid, before I even knew what titles meant (those old movies used to play right after the Cartoon Network shows🙈)
Naturally, I had no clue what they were actually arguing about, but I felt so bad seeing how the guy in the cast treated his wife🤣

If I don't end up liking "Hidden Figures," then he might as well just go buy a La La Land Oscar🙂

Give Cat on a hot tin roof another look. Give it a chance; it might actually grow on you. It's personally one of my favorites🙂

This is easily the movie of the year. Denzel Washington has finally proven he’s absolutely untouchable when he’s playing in his own backyard—doing exactly what he does best.

The Oscar should be a total lock... fingers crossed.

Tom Hanks plays basically the same role in almost every movie he's in. 🤷

The film itself is just exhausting; you can tell there's actual quality there, but man, sitting through the whole thing is a massive slog.

I found Viola Davis's performance to be significantly more moving than Denzel Washington's. Having watched the entire film, I must admit it left me feeling quite unsettled; my heart truly went out to both the woman and her children, which elicited a deep sense of empathy within me...

Such a great movie.

Personally, I think this might be Denzel Washington's best performance yet; he absolutely nailed it.

Viola Davis is also fantastic.

Denzel Washington just plays the same role every single time. It’s always the exact same facial expressions. Just like Tom Hanks. Lately, I can't help but laugh when I see them in a movie because I already know exactly how they're going to act—it's predictable. They're incredibly mediocre actors who are way too hyped up.

bluenomad2 said:Denzel Washington just acts the same way he always does. It's the exact same facial expressions every single time. He's identical to Hanks. They're the two actors I find myself laughing at lately when I catch one of their movies, simply because I already know exactly how they're going to play the part, which makes the whole thing feel ridiculous. They are incredibly mediocre actors, yet they get all this hype.

Only someone who knows absolutely nothing about cinema or the craft of acting could possibly claim that Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks are mediocre actors.

These two are the greatest actors working today, much like how you'd compare Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the soccer field.

The only ones who can even be mentioned in the same breath as them would be Robert De Niro.

bluenomad2, feel free to get as angry as you want at my comment, but when someone spits out such nonsense, it’s hard for me to just sit here and stay indifferent.

As for the movie itself, it is truly outstanding, driven primarily by the exceptional performances of Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, both of whom I hope will secure an Oscar for their roles this year.

The raw fate of the innocent family members—the wife, the mother, and her son within what initially seems like a functional household—is genuinely gut-wrenching. As for what happens later, those who choose to watch the film can find the answers for themselves.

🤣

What does "today's stars" even mean to you? Are they still around?

Jack Murphy5, whenever someone is labeled as the best of today, there’s this immediate assumption that they should be measured against every other living competitor.

I originally intended to claim that these two actors are the greatest of all time, but realized that sounded a bit too pretentious, so I scaled my thought back to just focusing on the current era. 😉

To suggest that you can somehow predict exactly how these two will approach a role before they even step on set is, frankly, ridiculous.
Of course, every actor on the planet has their own signature style and certain mannerisms that become recognizable if you watch them enough, but does that really mean you can foresee their entire performance well enough to find it predictable?

I'm not entirely sure what your logic was there, but I don't think Hanks, Denzel, or especially De Niro can really claim to be the top actors of our current era. 😁

Just as I have my own perspective, you certainly have yours regarding who stands as the greatest actor. It is, of course, impossible to truly "measure" talent, as the perceived quality of any actor or actress ultimately boils down to individual impression.
I don't mind at all if someone disagrees with me; in fact, I often find myself learning something new from opposing viewpoints.

But, man... I simply cannot shake the feeling that grouping Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington into some category of "average" actors is absurd, especially since these two are my absolute favorites, and they are objectively proven to be at the very pinnacle of global acting, a fact validated by the awards given by film industry experts.

I will merely list their Academy Awards:

Denzel Washington: 2 Oscars
-Oscar - Glory (1989) - Best Supporting Actor
-Training Day (2001) - Best Actor

Tom Hanks: 2 Oscars
Philadelphia (1993) - Best Actor (coincidentally, Denzel also had a supporting role in this one)
Forrest Gump (1994) - Best Actor

Additionally, he won a Golden Globe for Cast Away (2000) for Best Actor. I mention this because that remains one of the finest films ever made, thanks to the work of Tom Hanks and Robert Zemeckis.

Of course, everyone has their own taste. It’s just that today's selection caught my eye. Cheers.

I suppose I can see how using the term "modern era" might cause some confusion.
Both Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington earned those accolades some fifteen or twenty years ago, and if you ask me, that was the period when they truly cemented their legacies and left an indelible mark on the film industry.

Maybe Tom Hanks isn't quite operating at that peak level anymore, which explains why he isn't being offered roles that match the caliber of his earlier work. But when I look at his entire body of work and his overall contribution to cinema, isn't it clear why I hold him in such high regard?

I have to single out Denzel Washington, though, because he still has that incredible staying power; through his performance in Fence, he managed to outdo himself, holding his own perfectly against much younger stars and rising talent alike. Since he also directed Fence, he clearly had the absolute creative freedom to craft a performance that was entirely his own.

I’d personally put Tom Hanks a step above Denzel Washington, mostly because he avoids those forced, over-the-top expressions that feel so unnatural—not that he's a bad actor by any means, it's just a funny quirk of his style—whereas I feel like Robert De Niro has really slipped lately, almost like he's making a joke out of his own career and dropping down to the level of Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller.