THE KID Versus MARIA: Rating The Acting Performances In Roman Polanski's 'CARNAGE'

I watched "CARNAGE" at 2.30pm. Thirty minutes before that, somewhere else in the country, my friend MARIA started watching it too. We promised to chat about it afterwards -- but instead, I called her up and said "Rate the acting performances from best to worst, and write a bit about them. I'll throw it on the blog." She wrote her views and I wrote mine. Coincidentally, our rankings were the same, and our views were pretty similar too. 

1. CHRISTOPH WALTZ 

MARIA – is just cool, isn’t he? Every role he plays, he inhabits effortlessly. And in ‘Carnage’ his performance as Alan Cowan is just effortless. But perhaps this ease is simply the result of the writing, as his character is the only one who does not go on much of an emotional journey, if at all, throughout the course of the film. He is the constant. He knows who he is, and what he believes, and he’s ok with that. And for that reason, he comes across as the most believable and relatable of the four.

THE KID - Waltz was amazing in this - by far the best performance. May sound weird of me to say this -- but I even felt like he was channelling a bit of Woody Allen in his performance. It was comedic, yet subtle and nuanced -- and, yeah, he seemed like a subdued Woody Allen-esque character. Not sure anyone else will see that in the performance, but I did!

He was, for me, definitely the best actor in it -- he is definitely helped by the character that was written for him, as it's by far the most interesting.

2. JOHN C. REILLY

THE KID - I think it's fair to say the material was skewed in favour of the men -- they got the funnier lines. When the two guys started siding with each other, drinking and smoking, it was hilarious -- probably because it was so realistic.

Reilly is often much better than the material he works with. Here, it fit him just right -- he could be down to Earth and normal one minute, and hilarious the next. He manages to be funny without being funny. What do I mean by that? When you see Sandler or Carrey doing comedy, it jumps out at you. Reilly is just kind of inherently funny. He coaxes the humour off the page without having to do too much.

MARIA - Ok, I may be biased here as I adore John C. Reilly as an actor and his performance in ‘Chicago’ will forever remain in my mind. But watching him turn from this lovable, peace maker into a somewhat unlikeable character was fantastic. The switch that was called for from the script is a hard one to pull off for most actors. He played the subtext so well that he pulled off the sudden switch in the dialogue with ease. The mask was dropped and the REAL Michael Longstreet was revealed. Well done John. Well done. (slow clap).

3. KATE WINSLET

MARIA - I love watching this woman try to pull off an American accent. She does it, don’t get me wrong, but it’s always on the verge of slipping right back into RP and the anticipation keeps me on the edge of my seat. And watching her play drunk… Well, you can tell she’s a Brit. She does it so well you know she’s practised many a time. I found my focus rested mainly on her character, Nancy Cowan, because you knew eventually she was going to crack and when she did it was beautiful and believable.

THE KID - I was bored by her for many parts of the film and, in fact, there were times when I thought she wasn't very good at all -- I could see the acting. I guess she can't be incredible all the time. That being said, towards the end, when she was finally called upon to do something interesting, she excelled. Her drunken behaviour and shouting got the biggest laughs of the movie. When Winslet is great, I don't think there are many in her league. In 'Carnage', she's not great, at least not for all of it.

4. JODIE FOSTER

THE KID - This is probably the worst I've ever seen her. For one, the character was repugnant, but that wasn't even the problem. I just didn't believe what I was seeing whenever Foster did her thing. It wasn't real, I couldn't buy into it. You know who they should have cast? Helen Hunt. She'd have been PERFECT. She'd have pulled off the righteousness and the anger, while still being human. Foster was miscast, and as a result, struggled massively.


MARIA - I was not a fan. BUT…perhaps that’s because I hated her character so much I wanted to throw something at the screen at times. But all in all, I felt like she was trying WAY too hard. I couldn’t relate to or care about her character in the least. That said she did a good job of amping up the drama in a rather simple story. I’m sorry I can’t say more about her performance. Unfortunately that’s acting for you. If the audience doesn’t like your character they’re usually going to go away thinking you didn’t do a great job. But if all you try to do is play lovable characters you’re going to have a boring career and probably won’t ever become a great actor. So well done Jodie on not being afraid to be disliked.

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Peas & Carrots

"I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home... only to no home I'd ever known... I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like... magic."

-Sam Baldwin, 'Sleepless In Seattle'

Isn't it the most beautiful thing ever? Two people going off into the crazy world and always finding their way home. I don't even mean Greenbow, Alabama. I mean, finding their way home.. to each other. Forrest found Jenny in a seedy club singing Bob Dylan songs. Jenny found Forrest in Washington, D.C., during a rally.

Something always led them home.

The promise of films is an enticing one. It gives everything meaning. Our lives are often less poetic. We'd love to travel across the country to meet up with Andy Dufresne, to marvel in how meaningful life is -- but real life is rarely painted as magically.

I still find it strange how 'Forrest Gump' and 'Shawshank Redemption' were made in the same year. Reminds me of that beautiful TED talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, when she talks about how old cultures would chant "God" and "Allah" when they saw something magic.

"In Spain, when a performer has done something impossible and magic, (they would shout) "Allah, ole, ole, Allah, magnificent, bravo," incomprehensible, there it is -- a glimpse of God. Which is great, because we need that."

-Elizabeth Gilbert

I think those two movies embody that. And sure, there will be people reading this who hate those films, or think they're overrated, or whatever; and that's fine -- but the fact is, those films were a phenomenon. Every year they try to make the latest films sound like they've changed the world. Remember the hype for 'The King's Speech' last year? Now nobody gives a shit.

'Forrest Gump' and 'Shawshank Redemption' are in people's hearts. They're the reason why people love the cinema. Deep down we like to see our lives as meaning something, as leading in a certain direction, that there's an essence within us that is guiding us along. Did we think this before movies existed? I don't know. Either way; after a few illnesses, deaths, divorces and shattered dreams -- we lose that spark. Forrest and Jenny, Red and Andy, Rick and Ilsa, we look towards them, not because of how they reflect life, but because how they make up for everything it lacks.

What do we do in real life? How do we make it meaningful? The thing about life is that when you think you've met a Fran Kubelik, they often turn out to be an Elle Driver.

Just like when you think your best friend is Elwood P. Dowd and they turn out to be Frank Costello.

Me, I'm a movie guy. Can't help it. I'm not sure there's a magical essence pointing me through life -- but I do think we have the power, as people, to live the lives we want, to make it meaningful.

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Broken Heart

It's so matter of fact. Eddie is saying "It's okay, I have a broken heart, that's all, I'll deal with it."

That's exactly how it is in real life, but art rarely captures the feeling. Ask a screenwriter to write a scene about a broken heart; or ask a singer to sing a song, and you'll get the dramatics, the worst-day-ever scenario.

That's why people love Eddie Vedder, he's a true artist, and he goes a different way. 'Broken Heart' is numb, simple, to the point.

I'm alright.

It's alright.

It's just a broken heart.

When I'm directing actors, I often say something along the lines of "The dialogue already tells the story, so you don't need to add to it." The point being, if the line is "I have a broken heart", you don't need to act broken-hearted, you have the opportunity to go another way. You can say you're broken hearted, but show that you're confused, or distracted, or pretending to be happy. That's why soap operas are boring -- they give you the information and then they dramatise it. They give you the sum, they tell you what it adds up to, and then they give you the 'how to' manual and make you watch it on repeat six times.

The greatest artists go a different way. That's why Billy Wilder was famously known for mixing the sweet with the sour. That's why Robert Downey Jr is at the top of the industry. Watch him in "A Guide To Recognizing Saints" or in "Ally McBeal", he plays it AGAINST the scene. When he's talking to Ally, if they're having a romantic moment, he's troubled. If they're in a fight, he's light-hearted. Isn't that just like life? We're rarely the sum total of the things we're going through. Someone can be heading into surgery feeling wonderful, and someone else can be depressed while sitting in five star luxury.

A broken heart is worst the first time. You're not prepared for it, you thought everything was going to be magical. The second time, your heart breaks and you get ruined again. Any time after that, you're numb, it's just another state of being. Bored, hungry, chirpy, inspired, confused, broken-hearted. It's just like anything else. Be aware enough and you can spot a heart-break coming. You can plan for it six months in advance.

Don't mind me, just let me be,

My eyes so far away,

I don't need no sympathy,

The word gets over played.

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Diablo Cody's Female Perspective

When 'Bridesmaids' came out, everyone was talking about how it was going to change the industry. The hype was crazy, and there were articles aplenty with patronising questions, along the lines of "can a woman carry a movie?" and "can women be funny?".

The film industry is male dominated. People often challenge this notion by listing a bunch of films that star women, or by explaining that Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for directing 'The Hurt Locker'. These examples prove the point. If I said to you "Name ten great movies that have men in the leading roles," it would be easy, because nearly all films do.

While 'Bridesmaids' got the press coverage, pushing the fact that the cast were all women, it is writer's like Diablo Cody who are doing the real work to show us how we've been missing the voice of an entire gender for most of cinematic history. It's not that 'Young Adult' is a particularly brilliant film, although it is very good. What makes it stand apart from nearly every American film I've ever seen, is how strongly written Charlize Theron's character 'Mavis' is. I feel like I am watching a woman from a woman's point of view, and it's not buried in a 'woman's genre'. This is new territory. It is also worth noting that Jason Reitman directed this, as well as 'Juno'. He is tapping into a reservoir of talent that has, for the most part, been disregarded over the years.

Cody's writing is refreshing and unique. The structure and pacing of the film is expertly crafted. Mavis (Charlize Theron) has a goal, to win back Buddy (Patrick Wilson) -- and that is her (and the film's) only concern. She drives back to the town she grew up in, to win him back, and is remarkably nonplussed about the impact it might have on his marriage or newborn child.

The intriguing thing about the movie is that it's clear that the character's goal is doomed right from the beginning. It's like she's purposefully heading into a car crash. Even though I've never been a woman, nor have I tried to break up a marriage, I relate to her. Why? Because there's something beautifully human about her. A side of humanity we've all been at one time or another. Diablo Cody writes very subtle moments into the film where Mavis shows her vulnerability, where we realise she's not a careless bitch, just human. Just struggling. It occurred to me; I've not seen this too many times before, not with a female lead.

When people speak about the lack of women in leading roles, the comeback from those who disagree is often that "we have enough chick-flicks as it is". The view being, of course, that women just like to watch (and make) "Chick flicks". The intriguing thing about Diablo Cody is that two of her films, "Juno" and "Young Adult" have been about having babies; yet, they've not been predictable or chick-flick-ish at all. You may think that "Young Adult" is not about having a baby -- but when you see the film, there'll be a startling moment towards the end when you realise that it is hugely about that very thing.

"Juno" was her break-out hit, a mini-masterpiece. "Jennifer's Body" was average at best. "Young Adult" was subtle and intriguing. These three films, while not necessarily better or worse than films that would have been made by her male counterparts; do show a unique female voice. They leave us wondering, who else is out there like her? How different could the future of cinema look? We're ready.

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Feedback: Creative Stuckness

Re: Creative Stuckness.


DONNA: You know, I post comments on blogs sometimes all day long. I can't tell you how impressed I am that you not only replied, but replied with style and content and sincerity. I don't know how long it might take me to finish my novel, but I will eventually. I promise myself that. BUT, thanks to your reply, I got a little motivation and actually finished a children's book I've been playing around with for months. Yeah, it needs work and I'll have to talk my 19 year old daughter into doing some illustrations for me, but I'm excited about it and it motivated me to start thinking about my novel again, so thanks. From the bottom of my heart.


LUCKY PUNK - I love your advice on Nothing Time, and also your kind responses to everyone. It would be so easy to be cruel and horribly funny about people's procrastination problems, but you chose to be actually helpful...

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