What da fudge is this Hell or High Water? That looks my kinda movie.
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shareIt's good! I saw it on dvd a couple weeks ago and wish I had seen it on a big screen because it has these wide sweeping bleak landscapes like an old fashioned western.
shareSo happy Mahershala Ali won supporting actor. He deserved it.
shareDidn't see it but he looked sharp as hell in that suit.
shareHaven't seen it yet but seems a great movie.
shareHe was good, but not as good as Ben Foster in Hell or High Water, and he wasn't even nominated.
shareBen Foster was great in "Hell or High Water," but I'm good with the Ali win, because I think he actually earned it with his work in "Free State of Jones."
I think Jeff Bridges and Ben Foster in "Hell or High Water" gave stronger performances than Mahershala Ali's in "Moonlight," but for me they're not as powerful as Ali in "Free State of Jones."
That said, Ben Foster is one of my favorite actors, and I've never seen a less than impressive performance by him. I love his intensity, his commitment, and his ability to transform while always being (as far as I've seen) completely convincing. I hope he keeps getting great roles.
I haven't seen Free State of Jones so will check it out.
It doesn't bother me that Ali won, just that Ben Foster didn't even get nominated for an excellent performance (one of many in his career), and he even had more screen time than him too. He actually should have been at least nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role imo, but no, he was totally snubbed.
Yes hopefully he keeps getting great roles and we keep enjoying them.
Yes, I think Ben Foster is a seriously talented actor who can memorably pull off some very "out there" characters or improbable transformations and still manage to avoid feeling at all gimmicky. Just off the top of my head, 3:10 to Yuma, Rampart, Kill Your Darlings, The Program... all top-notch skills there.
Sometimes I wonder if it's better for character actors like him to not get Oscar-nominated. As soon as you become widely known, it's harder to disappear as a character. I think some of that is because Hollywood tries to typecast its "movie stars" and some of that may also simply be audience psychology ("Oh, I know that guy. He was such-and-such character...").
I'm interested to hear what you think of Free State of Jones. Ali's performance in it is a very different kind of performance than Foster's in Hell or High Water. Come to think of it, Ali and Foster are also very different kinds of actors from what I've seen. Ali seems to be relatively more internalized and his performances rely more on his non-verbal expression, whereas with Foster, I feel like what makes him stand out is his technical skill with changing his voice and posture, and his affinity for going big.
Well I don't think it hurts to get nominated, however, I do think it hurts if they actually go and WIN an Oscar, and not just for character actors but 'lead' (btw, less talented imo) actors too. Like you say, Hollywood then tries to typecast them, and also they suddenly ask for more money, and they end up losing out on being considered for roles in smaller budget, yet more interesting, films.
It's true what you say about audience psychology though. That's why I love 'world cinema', because I can see actors I have never seen before and that helps in making me 'believe' their characters more.
I'll let you know what I think of Free State when I see it, I haven't had a chance yet, but I will before the end of the week for sure!
I finally saw Free State of Jones and I've got to say Ali was great as Moses. I didn't even recognise it was him at first. So okay, I'm happier now that he won the Oscar. Still think that Foster should have been nominated though. Both great actors, in any case. Thanks for the recommendation, I really enjoyed the film.
I had a colleague that was from around Tenessee and she met a British blackman who was studying at university there and she ran off to the UK with him because going back several generations her family were real supreme racists, I think she actually said they were from the Klu Klux Klan. She had five brothers and she was the only girl in the family and none of them want anything to do with her. Not that she cares, she's very happy living her live with her husband in the UK. But this film highlights where that kind of mentality comes from.
Hi Cornelia123, sorry for such a late reply; life threw me off my groove here, but it's settled now. Hope all's good with you.
I'm glad you liked "Free State of Jones"! I thought it was a much better movie than reviews made it out to be (esp. since some critics didn't separate their idea of the film's perceived politics from their critique of the film on its own merits). I had some issues with "Free State of Jones" myself, but there's a good film in there, and I'm glad I saw it.
Yeah, this film did a good job depicting some of the racist mentality that still exists today. I know people who—although they've never explicitly expressed a dislike or distrust of people of a different race—nonetheless think of them as being meaningfully, inherently different, and treat them that way. I don't get it. We're all here in this time and place, we ought to make the best of it together. I'd rather try to learn about and share the best of everybody's cultures and ideas, and be glad for and try to expand on what I have in common with other people, than use any differences as a barrier. I know it's not always as simple as that, but it doesn't have to be impossible, either.
That's unfortunate about your colleague's blood family. Good on her for moving on, sometimes that's all you can do, or it's best.
That's why I love 'world cinema', because I can see actors I have never seen before and that helps in making me 'believe' their characters more.
Yikes. They have people that actually come up and yank you off stage now? Just give em a big hook and be done with it!
sharethe guy thanks his deceased wife and he gets almost dragged off stage.
So much for tolerance and empathy Hollywood ...
That was embarrassing...happened right as he was talking about his wife that passed away...
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shareA little late to the party, I was looking for a decent live stream and I finally found one. :)
shareWHERE did you find decent live stream? I am still stumbling around on the Internet....like a blinded Greek drama figure...
shareI said decent, I spoke too soon. It's glitchy as hell, at least for me, but here it is anyway.
http://fulltvshows.org/live/