American Acting

Is it just me, or is American film acting actually kind of terrible sometimes!?

And look, I’m talking about movies here, not theater... but honestly, that’s exactly where the issue lies! They act in movies like they’re still stuck on a Broadway stage!

I really think the Academy should, you know, actually distinguish between film acting and stage acting...

Seriously, when I watch these actors of ours, it’s a total disaster!

Everyone over-enunciates everything like they’re performing at a local community playhouse—it feels so fake and forced, it's just a catastrophe!

Half the time I can't even follow what's happening in American movies because they're trying way too hard to be "clear," and if you asked me? I'd probably put subtitles on every single domestic film we produce...

There’s just something about hearing someone let out a perfectly articulated, high-drama string of American profanities that really hits the spot for me.

Richard Hernandez13 said:I honestly live for when people just go off on an emotional rant using that perfect, sharp American accent.

Right?! That’s exactly what I mean... I honestly don't even get how Mexicans and Canadians handle it, because with them, everything sounds so smooth and totally natural.

It's definitely the fault of the University of Chicago! Everyone over at the Academy is just so stiff and uptight....

In my neck of the woods, acting—and art in general—tends to be way too overmystified. It feels like everyone working in the industry carries themselves with this incredibly hoh und nobl attitude.

I’ve really been enjoying watching Ian McKellen play Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. The guy has decades of experience on the stage and is practically a legendary icon of the theater. While he doesn't have a massive filmography, he’s put together an enviable string of roles lately. What I love most is that he truly understands the nuance between performing on stage versus being in front of a camera; he’s humble enough to admit that he still feels like a novice who has so much left to learn about film acting.

...
By the way, regarding this: I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future. That quote wasn't actually said by Dubey, but rather by Dan Quayle—the Vice President under his father, who remains one of the absolute dimmest politicians in American history. People constantly misattribute that line to George W. Bush.

Richard Hernandez13 said:In this country, acting (and art in general) is way too overhyped. Everyone in the industry acts like they're so high and mighty.

I actually really love Ian McKellen playing Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. The guy has decades of theater experience under his belt—he's basically an icon of the stage. He doesn't have a massive filmography per se, but he’s been on such an incredible run lately with all his roles. And the best part? He totally gets the difference between being on stage versus being in front of a camera, yet he still humbly claims he's just a beginner who still has tons to learn about film acting.

...
By the way, regarding this: I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future. That wasn't Dubya saying it—it was actually Dan Quayle, the Vice President, who is honestly one of the dimmest politicians we've ever had in America. People always misattribute that quote to George W. Bush.

Thank goodness Ian McKellen isn't an American actor.🙂

And thanks for the heads up on my signature, deleting the extra stuff right now!👍

Better?😁

If I had to point out a prime example of overacting in a recent American film, I’d have to go with Peter Krelja in Below the Line—honestly, I think I’ve seen enough hammy performances in that one to last me a lifetime, even if I’ll admit there were a few decent moments scattered in there somewhere.

The standout for me is Anja Šovagović, playing the despot who flails her arms around like she’s actually trying to take flight; on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, you have Rakan Rushaidat, who is just pure phlegm, acting like he’s taken way too many sedatives.

...
Here is a page dedicated to Bushism, and these right here are some of those
Quayle-esque gems.

Richard Hernandez13 said:If I had to point to an example of how acting can be totally misused in a recent American film, I’d say... Below the line... Peter Krelja—just saw enough overacting there to last a lifetime... though, I'll admit, there were some decent moments in there...

Anja Šovagović is something else... A total despot, waving her hands around like she’s about to take flight...

...
Here is the page... Bushism......and here they are...
Quayle-esque... Pure gems...

That’s exactly my first thought too whenever I see some terrible acting... 😉

Oh, right, I neglected to mention one glaringly obvious flaw alongside the terrible acting: the movies themselves are absolute garbage.

No amount of commentary could ever truly capture how bad they are!

It’s the same tired formula every single time:
A social melodrama centered on a domestic war. Honestly, what more could you possibly ask for?

Richard Howard2 said:I mean, honestly, what more could you even ask for?!

Yellow letters everywhere!

Richard Hernandez13 said:There’s nothing quite like hearing someone swear their heart out in a thick Southern accent with absolutely flawless diction.

That sounds twisted. 🙂
Around here, there's this common consensus that we have incredible actors stuck with terrible scripts. Someone mentioned it recently—I can't recall exactly who, since I'm hardly an expert on distinguishing great acting from a bad movie.

It’s not like we lack talent entirely. I was watching "When You Hear the Bells" last night and honestly, I couldn't believe we actually produced a film like that. 👍