Monday, August 15, 2011
august MOVIE MEME, day 15: an actor I'm ashamed to hate
And the titles keep getting a little too extreme. I'm not entirely "ashamed" per se of my feelings for the following two actors. And then again, I don't actually hate them either. In fact, I've found them both tolerable on some occasions. (And hate is just such a mean word, right?)
First off, Mr. Paul Giamatti. An Oscar-nominated actor, I've never truly understood his acclaim. I've never seen his breakthrough role in American Splendor, mind you, but I've seen the two facets of his acting abilities: gruff grumpy-gus and hammy emphaticon. The former was utilized in Sideways, in which I'm fairly certain he was at least partially playing himself? Or maybe I just insulted his real-life personality. Either way, I found his performance entirely one-note and blank. And then there's the latter, perfectly utilized in his Oscar-nom'd role in Cinderella Man. He just must have one of those faces that read hammy no matter what. Insanely over-the-top. On to Philip Seymour Hoffman. He's redeemed himself a bit, for me, in films like The Savages and Mary and Max, but his other ridiculously cartoonish performances, including his Oscared role in Capote, are just too grating for my tastes. And don't even get me started on Charlie Wilson's War. How do you feel about these two gents? Am I missing something, or do they perplex you as much as they do me?
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3 comments:
Paul Giamatti irks me. "Sideways" was the only role that suited his muted talents, and I liked him in that. Beyond that, he is always too self-aware, too impressed with himself, and I can't watch him for more than a few minutes. The son of former baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti, someone must have pulled a lot of strings to ensure his fame.
I think Hoffman is talented, but can be smarmy in a certain type of role (Scent of a Woman, Talented Mr. Ripley). I enjoyed him in Capote.
Funny, but I can find no shame in my dislike for a select few actors....Tom Cruise...Jessie Eisenberg...Nicolas Cage...Fran Drescher (lol)...I suppose the actor who consistently disappoints me is Leonardo DiCaprio. Lately he has been constantly miscast, to where I find his performances as convincing as a grade-school player. He can be so much better in a character role or a romantic lead.
Nooo...not Paul Giamatti. Having said that, if I have to watch his character from The Negotiator over and over again, I'd hate him too.
How could you, how could you. I understand hate for Paul (although I LOVE him in Cinderella Ma) but you're not the first person who's admitted to not liking PSH, shamefully, I might add.
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