Ha-ha! I like Will Ferrell in small doses. Long after the hype on him had
built, I sat down and watched "Talladega Nights" where he was NASCAR racer
"Ricky Bobby", and laughed my butt off. But that was only the second or third
movie I'd seen him in. I also enjoyed his more subtle turn in "Stranger Than
Fiction", the movie where his life was literally being controlled by an
author's keystrokes. And "Elf" gave me some chuckles as well. I think I saw
"Elf", then "Stranger Than Fiction", then "Talladega Nights", giving me silly
comedy, subtle comedy/drama, then silly comedy again. That was sufficient.
But Ferrell needs to quit doing the same old type comedy film. His turns in the
films about ice skating and basketball, for example, are all variations of the
same Ricky Bobby scheme, so I avoided them. He has the looks and I think the
chops to do other stuff. I don't know if he can carve the niche of understated,
nuanced actor that Bill Murray has found for his career. But I think he might
be able to do at least as well as Adam Sandler, who's actually not half bad
when he backs off the stupid comedies and reigns himself in for roles like that
in "Spanglish", or "50 First Dates". Ferrell has had training, like many
comedians he gets the drama underlying life, and I think he could start
branching out a bit more.
I'm always intrigued at watching comedic actors who get their start or fame in
really silly, over-the-top roles, who can also pull off the more subtle stuff.
Not everyone can do both: Chevy Chase, for example. But actors like Steve
Martin, Sandler, Murray, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy (he has the ability, just
not the will I guess), Steve Carell all have that talent,and I think Ferrell
does too. He's made the dough, now it's time to stretch...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Baxter" <truthseeker...@lycos.com>
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 8:38:35 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Will Smith -- The Only Sure Thing At The Box Office
Keith, you forgot to include Will Ferrell. I'm certain that it was due
to your own mental self-defenses kicking in...
---------[ Received Mail Content ]----------
Subject : Re: [scifinoir2] Will Smith -- The Only Sure Thing At The Box Office
Date : Sun, 15 Feb 2009 01:21:34 +0000 (UTC)
>From : Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>
To : scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com
Funny. He isn't a guaranteed big draw for me. Among male actors, I'm much more
likely to see a flick with Don Cheadle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Clive Owen, Viggo
Mortensen, Robert Duvall. Maybe De Niro if it's not Meet the Parents or
Righteous Kill type crap. And I'd actually place Clooney higher up on my list
than Smith. In fact, I can't remember the last time I saw a movie because Smith
was in it. I saw "Hancock" and "I Am Legend" because they were scifi, and
"Hitch" because it was a romantic comedy I could share with my wife. The other
males below, I'll certainly consider--especially Damon and Di Caprio--but
depends on the type of movie they're in. I will say, I do wish Christian Slater
were still doing good work, for he'd certainly be on my list.
For female actors, my list would have to include Judi Dench, Angela Bassett
(keep hoping she finally finds the roles that utilize her massive talent),
Meryl Streep (who's really impressed me with her continually good work as she
gets older), Kimberly Elise (woefully underappreciated actress), Taraji P.
Henson (hard not to be engaged with, even with unintentionally funny stuff like
"He don't love me no 'mo'!" in "Baby Boy"), Cate Blanchett, Jodi Foster, Queen
Latifah (good dramatic and comedic actress), Sanaa Lathan.
They ought to list the actors guaranteed to kill a movie, to drive people away.
For me, that would include Adam Sandler (don't get his humour), Pauly Shore
(how does he get work?), Jim Carey (most of his stuff is too manic for me),
David Spade (loved him on TV, can't abide his film work), Mila Jovovich
(horrible movie choices), Kate Hudson (she's sure to star in wretched romantic
comedies that make you gag).
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tracey de Morsella"
To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com, "CINQUE"
Sent: Saturday, February 14, 2009 5:53:22 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: [scifinoir2] Will Smith -- The Only Sure Thing At The Box Office
Will Smith -- The Only Sure Thing At The Box Office
12 February 2009 1:27 AM, PST
Will Smith has again emerged as the film star whose name on the marquee
guarantees a movie's success, according to most analysts. In Forbes magazine's
Star Currency survey, Smith was the only film star to receive a perfect score
of 10. Others in the top ten included: Leonardo DiCaprio , Angelina Jolie ,
Brad Pitt , Tom Hanks , George Clooney , Denzel Washington , Matt Damon , Jack
Nicholson , and Julia Roberts .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQdwk8Yntds
