OK... todays sour grapes rant follows my first viewing of Atonement - a good film, but loses a point because of the presense of the frankly awful Ikea Knightley (thanks Dr Kermode).
I am totally at a loss to understand the attraction of Miss Knightley... all her characters I have seen are effectively the same posh British person with a slightly different accent (though not much different). The best performance I have seen her give was in Bend It Like Beckham (or even THE HOLE!), when she was about 16. That's a problem.
I've thought about it and maybe the point is that she is... er... typically british? Nah... I don't buy that - she's a tall thin dark haired girl...perhaps that's hollywoods ideal british girl, and the press do seem to love her - she's on the cover of a paper every two days it seems.
But I fail to see it, maybe it's the way she holds her jaw, maybe its just her stupid face, but I think she is possibly the least attractive leading lady in the world. Even Uma Thurman is better looking.
So if you're wondering why I'll always mark down a film she's in its because I think she's a terrible and unattractive actress. Two major failings in a leading lady.
In Atonement she is totally blown of the screen by the girl playing her sister and that's a good thing, maybe we can replace Keira permanently very soon with someone better.
Sadly all the papers and coverage of her seems to be very positive always though, and we all know that the skilll of an actor is never more important than the coverage when getting parts. She's already getting the good press she neess (from the duchess) to keep her cluttering up the screen for years to come. Good news if you like her I guess.
BUT THIS IS MY BLOG AND I DON'T!
By the way, for Doctor Who fans, I think Billie Pipers weird Jaw upon her return was as a direct result of her imitating Keira. If you didn't notice it I'd be amazed... it's like she was talking only moving her Jaw from side to side! Ick...
So what do the W-S folks think of the ghastly skeletal apparition that is Miss Knightley? You may totally disagree with me - that is your right - but please explain WHY!
There are very few actresses that can put off myself and Mrs Algo from watching a film but Miss Knightley is one of the very few (maybe if Sienna Miller gets more lead roles we'll have another). The male equivalent of this is ROb Schnieder - and if you lump Rob and Keira together I doubt there'll be many people not baying for my blood!
A
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
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Now Algo - I'm a tad confused about what your issue is here.
ReplyDeleteIs it Kiera's looks? If so, let me ask you a question: Do you find Dame Judy Dench attractive? If you do, that's absolutely fine. If you don't then you must - by your own definition - mark "Casino Royale' down a point for having her in the cast as you said (about Kiera) "...... I'll always mark down a film she's in its because I think she's a terrible and unattractive actress." (The same probably goes for Vanessa Redgrave who was also the star of Atonement)
Or is your gripe that you don't like her acting ability, in which case you must ALWAYS mark down ANY movie that contains a bad actress in a lead role (Which - effectively - includes Labyrinth (which you loved) due to the appalling performance of Jennifer Connelly at that age)
You said yourself that this is your prejudice - of which you display many on this site :-) - and I'm OK with that, but I do expect a scintilla of consistency in our prejudices.
Personally I think Kiera is attractive - although a tad too sylph-like for my liking - and an excellent actress. Compare her Elizabeth Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice" to here Elisabeth Swann from the Pirates movies, to her Domino Harvey from Domino and you'll see she actually has a nice range and can act.
I think the charge that "all her characters I have seen are effectively the same posh British person with a slightly different accent" can also be aimed at Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Rupert Everett, Rosamund Pike,Matthew Macfadyen and - to some extent - Colin Firth and Dame Judy herself. Sure, they all have the odd film where they play a slightly different role, but generally they are playing the same person.
Having said that I note - from a re-read of your 'top ten' movies - that none of them fall into the classic British "period film". So maybe your prejudice isn't against Kiera specifically, it is against films with posh British accents?
Gary
Gary... you can't call someone prejudiced and then put a smiley next to it, expecting it to be ignored!
ReplyDelete1. an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed beforehand or without knowledge, thought, or reason.
2. any preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.
3. unreasonable feelings, opinions, or attitudes, esp. of a hostile nature, regarding a racial, religious, or national group.
I hope looking at these you will follow that only in number 3 is it even possible I am prejudiced, but I'm not - because my feelings, opinions and attitudes about religion (which I presume you are referring to) are not unreasonable, in fact they are very well reasoned over the last twenty years of my life and I am happy to take you through every single reason again whenever you like.
As far as Miss Knightley is concerned, this is an opinion I have come to following seeing at least six films with her in, so does not fall under the first or second definitions.
As a post it is, I'll admit, a little over the top and as with every single one of my posts was more than a little tongue in cheek. It would be a ittle unkind to despise her if i agreed with your points your logic, but consider these rejoinders:
1. Labyrinth is a kids film not attempting to win acting oscars. Atonement is quite clearly oscar bait and therefore the acting is put forward as an example of brilliance. McAvoy is good, Saoirse Ronan is exceptional, Knightley is not. This is not a prejudice, it is AN OPINION. Hence me putting in the keywords "OPINION" not "FACT"
2. Judi Dench... while not particularly attractive to me now (though in her younger days if I remember, she was fairly yummy) is A GOOD ACTRESS! So she's an unattractive good actress, not a terrible one.
3. My point was that I never have enjoyed a movie as much if she's in it and hence it will tend to cost the film "marks" if such is your bag (wish I'd never started the out of ten system but I'm keeping it going for my own amusement now). That's my only intention there. Rob Schneider falls into that category as well and a movie with both of them in it would have to work stupidly hard to even get me to record off TV for free.
4. Emma Thompson played a French queen in French in Henry V, she also played an American in Primary Colours as well as crazy Sybil Trelawney in Harry Potter. Kate Winslet is incredibly different in Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless mind to Titanic (which I despise). There are similar examples for most of your others (except Rupert Everett... oh dear...) Damn...all my opinions must be wrong because Rupert's toss as well! I admit it! Because there's one other actor who's bad, then Knightley must be good. No wait... no I don't.
6. 'Period Films' I liked: TV's Bleak House, The Prestige, Amadeus, Gosford Park (in which every single performance is better than Keira) and probably many others including Sense and Sensibility the first time, so I don't think your last point is correct either.
In short, I respectfully disagree with everything you said.
That doesn't make you prejudiced by the way, I just disagree.
A
Saw this, thought of you
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/68hr8s