Julia Roberts

[cremetangerine82]

Mar 12, 2023 12:00:02 GMT -4 technicolor said:

I don't know why Hepburn preferred Roberts, but Pauline Kael voiced criticism towards Streep that I think many of those who haven't warmed up to her would sign. Kael basically made the case that Streep is too technical and that there wasn't enough passion/warmth with her. Of course Kael didn't see the later development of Streep, so perhaps she'd have changed her mind.

Personally, I do think sometimes you see the wheels turning/technical showcase too clearly, but she's been outstanding in stuff as well. Roberts is not her equal as an actor, but she does have moments of spontaneity/charisma on screen in her best performances that even Streep might have trouble reaching IMO. To me, Streep is always a better actor than Roberts, she's not always a better movie star, in other words. ;-)

Pauline Kael had a real hate boner about Streep, saying she was bad in Sophie's Choice, which I think is still a benchmark on great screen acting. She was just being contrarian for contrarian's sake would have hated her more, even in the comedies.

I find it fascinating that I can see her thinking just with her eyes and is able to deftly handle playing unlikable characters with a deep complexity usually reserved for male actors. The number 1 on this list is more than fair.

Julia Roberts seems more "clock, click, click" in that I can predict what she will do and she doesn't wow me. I still think she has Ellen Burstyn's Oscar.

[Ginger]

Nov 29, 2021 1:38:37 GMT -4 cremetangerine82 said:

Pauline Kael had a real hate boner about Streep, saying she was bad in Sophie's Choice, which I think is still a benchmark on great screen acting. She was just being contrarian for contrarian's sake would have hated her more, even in the comedies.

She also had a hate boner for Robert De Niro, starting with The Deer Hunter, taking full effect with Raging Bull, and then continuing throughout the 80s until she retired. I think it was for the same reason - just to be contrarian about someone who was very acclaimed at the time.

If someone hasn't already written a thorough takedown of Pauline Kael, it should be done. She loved showing off her technical knowledge of cinema, but she was overflowing with shit. And identifying two of the greatest actors or all time as hacks when they were at their peaks...who exactly is the hack?

[cubanitafresca]

Mar 12, 2023 12:00:02 GMT -4 technicolor said:

Roberts is not her equal as an actor, but she does have moments of spontaneity/charisma on screen in her best performances that even Streep might have trouble reaching IMO. To me, Streep is always a better actor than Roberts, she's not always a better movie star, in other words. ;-)

It's easy to be spontaneous when you're basically playing the same character in 95% of the movies. In the words of one of my acting coaches, "Julie Roberts is a one trick pony - but nobody - nobody does it better than she does" I always thought that was really accurate.

Mar 13, 2023 14:10:21 GMT -4 Ginger said:

If someone hasn't already written a thorough takedown of Pauline Kael, it should be done. She loved showing off her technical knowledge of cinema, but she was overflowing with shit. And identifying two of the greatest actors or all time as hacks when they were at their peaks...who exactly is the hack?

There are performances by both actors that I really didn't care for or felt like they "phoned it in" especially De Niro. But to dismiss their entire career is definitely a personal grudge.

[cremetangerine82]

Mar 13, 2023 14:10:21 GMT -4 Ginger said:

If someone hasn't already written a thorough take-down of Pauline Kael, it should be done. She loved showing off her technical knowledge of cinema, but she was overflowing with shit. And identifying two of the greatest actors or all time as hacks when they were at their peaks...who exactly is the hack?

Pauline Kael said about Raging Bull was that "De Niro went from his usual 145 pounds to 160 for the young fighter, and then up to 215 for La Motta’s later days. (No man has ever made a more dramatic demonstration of the aesthetic reasons that people shouldn’t get bloated.)" So, a physical transformation = fat joke!

Kael's review of Sophie's Choice was "...I think, an infuriatingly bad movie ... The whole plot is based on a connection that isn't there—the connection between Sophie and Nathan's relationship and what the Nazis did to the Jews. Eventually, we get to the Mystery — to Sophie's Choice — and discover that the incident is garish rather than illuminating, and too particular to demonstrate anything general." Really? Choosing which child would die is "garish"? Did you think the Nazis were nice?

There's a take down of her claim that Orson Welles didn't write the Citizen Kane screenplay and took credit from Herman J. Mankiewicz. The hypocrisy is Kael took credit from another writer without crediting him nor giving him royalties (UCLA's faculty member Howard Suber)! She was a vindictive viper who was the embodiment of stereotype of the critic who's mad at brilliant artists.

OT: Julia Roberts is just not interesting in movies, but has an interesting habit of going after attached men!

[Auroranorth]

Mar 13, 2023 17:13:16 GMT -4 cubanitafresca said:

Mar 12, 2023 12:00:02 GMT -4 technicolor said:

Roberts is not her equal as an actor, but she does have moments of spontaneity/charisma on screen in her best performances that even Streep might have trouble reaching IMO. To me, Streep is always a better actor than Roberts, she's not always a better movie star, in other words. ;-)

It's easy to be spontaneous when you're basically playing the same character in 95% of the movies. In the words of one of my acting coaches, "Julie Roberts is a one trick pony - but nobody - nobody does it better than she does" I always thought that was really accurate.

Yes, she's very good at playing a type. She has minimal range, but within her type she does well.