Sean Penn

[Yossarian]

This may be my personal bias but I think that a "rolling hunger strike" somehow lacks the symbolic force of out and out starvation!

Others, including Penn, Sarandon, novelist Alice Walker and actor Danny Glover will join a "rolling" fast, a relay in which 2,700 activists pledge to refuse food for at least 24 hours, and then hand over to a comrade.

And this is coming from someone who shares a lot of Sean's political sympathies! I hate to think what his enemies are going to make of this ...

[twodollars]

I doubt this is even going to get mainstream media coverage, though it's an interesting idea.

On another note, Sean's acting in Mystic River killed any remaining love I had for him due to his role in Fast Times. I still can't believe that hammy performance won Penn an Oscar.

[petals]

HA!

It's like they believe in what they are protesting, but they don't want to miss a really good catered dinner that may come up.

Sean Penn? Pretentious, and he lacks a sense of humor. And not really that attractive.

[Yossarian]

See, even with pretention and hamminess, I still think Sean is an amazing actor and director. The Pledge was a great film and I will never fall out of love with Spicoli! I just wish he wasn't so earnest - earnest in a didactic "you are a moron if you don't agree with me" sense. You can be passionate and dedicated to various causes but you don't have to be an ass about it. I think Sean probably ends up alienating more people from his various projects than he wins over. I agree with most of his politics (except for his stance on abortion) so I'm generally inclined to support his endeavours but if I was sitting on the other side of the fence and some actor dude started shrilly lecturing me on the morality of war or the failings of the capitalist state I don't know that I'd take him seriously.

[Deleted]

I understand that Sean appraoched some younger actors about participating in order to boost perception from younger folks.

Nicole, Lindsay, Mary-Kate and Keria were interested until they discovered that the "hunger strike diet" would force them to increase their caloric intake.

[Deleted]

thejakes said:

Nicole, Lindsay, Mary-Kate and Keria were interested until they discovered that the "hunger strike diet" would force them to increase their caloric intake.

*snort* Oh, that's a good one!

[jaghetersimon]

The rolling hunger strike is the dumbest thing I've heard of in quite some time. And I hear a lot of stupid shit.

[HotLips]

twodollars said:

On another note, Sean's acting in Mystic River killed any remaining love I had for him due to his role in Fast Times. I still can't believe that hammy performance won Penn an Oscar.

I hated Mystic River. It wasn't Sean's performance though. I just thought the whole movie was completely overrated.

[jdkwfan4ever]

Yeah I don't get the Mystic River love. And I thought the whole "IS THAT MY DAUGHTER??!!! SJAFJDFJSJDFLJSDL;JFLJFJAS;DJFASJFJASFASJFLAJS!!!" scene was not supposed to be funny of course but I ended up laughing at how ridiculous it was. Sean Penn didn't deserve an Oscar for that performance IMO. I thought he was brilliant in Dead Man Walking though. He just bugs me. I just hate how pretentious he is. He just takes himself way too seriously sometimes. Although I did enjoy his little appearance on Jackass so he has 1/10th of humor.

[hal9000]

I still love Sean, but a rolling hunger strike is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. I share much of those political views, but this lame event encapsulates everything that is wrong with what I like to call the "Looney Left". If these are the political laymen representing left-wing views to the mass media, it leaves little wonder that the majority of people prefer to unquestionally accept our neo-con, economic rationalist world.

I'm interested that they tried to involve all of those Gen Y starlets but I'd hard pressed to name a more shallow self-indulged group in Hollywood. Their careers are ruled by superficialities. Maybe they'd show up if Susan Sarandon organised a gift bag, but generally I can't think of any who would risk receiving any kind of questionable press. The only young women I could imagine getting involved are C-list, nonentity, weirdos like Jena Malone and Leelee Sobieski.

The "Is that my daughter in there?" has been mocked so many times both on this board and FT. At the time I recall thinking that the horde of police forming a human shield around Jimmy reminded me of a rugby scrum. However, I thought that overall Sean's performance was a very effective one and am not surprised that AMPAS decided to give him his "career" award for this film. The scene in which he is at the hospital? morgue? cafeteria with Laura Linney and talks about his daughter was startling. I felt so sorry for his character; if my child was senselessly killed I would feel like that.

As far as Mystic River goes, the show definately belonged to Kevin Bacon. They weren't bad or anything, but Tim and Sean got the kudos that should have gone to Kevin should have rightly received, having the least flashy role but doing the most with it. It overall was not an especially interesting movie other than the first class crew and cast of A-listers and spots of unevenness. Emmy Rossum, for instance. She was a bit too touchy-feely with her father during her "goodbye" scene, though. Everyone in my theatre shifted uncomfortably in their scenes, and even Sean looked a bit shocked, and hey, he was married to Madonna.