Recently watched movies

[Arcadia]

5 minutes ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I believe I read that they wanted him to use his regular voice, but he insisted on doing an American accent because, uhh, reasons.

Still trying to decide whether to feel insulted.

About what?

3 minutes ago, Artemis said:

That's actually something that's been putting me off seeing the movie.  I don't like how his voice sounds in the trailer.  I wonder why they made this decision.  Wouldn't his regular deep voice have been Grinchy enough?

What Carol said. Although I don't know why doing an American accent precluded using a deep voice. Artistic choice.

[Carol the Dabbler]

3 hours ago, Arcadia said:

About what?

Insulted that BC thought the Grinch should be American. Mostly joking, but after all the Grinch was previously played by Boris Karloff -- who was English.

[besleybean]

Is it because Seuss was an American writer?

I am serioulsy asking as I honestly don't know.

Possibly it doesn't matter what accent he has!

[Carol the Dabbler]

Yes, Seuss was an American ,(though he did study at Oxford).

And even though Karloff was English, I'm not sure what accent he used as the Grinch.  Been a few years since I watched that.

[Arcadia]

5 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

Yes, Seuss was an American ,(though he did study at Oxford).

And even though Karloff was English, I'm not sure what accent he used as the Grinch.  Been a few years since I watched that.

It's lightly British. Although I believe BC said he hadn't seen it. At any rate, it seems to me he makes a point of trying to find something new to do with each character he plays … I think this is just another example.

What surprised me was how kind the Grinch sounded at times. BC's native decency emerging, I decided.  

[Artemis]

32 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

Although I believe BC said he hadn't seen it.

Even after he got the part?

I wonder if he read any Sherlock Holmes before portraying Sherlock Holmes.  Did he ever say?

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

I can't answer any of those questions for BC -- but if I were an actor in that situation, I think I'd carefully avoid any previous adaptations because I wouldn't want them to influence my performance.  I'd want to rely on the script for any interpretation.  I might read the original story, though, which in this case would be Seuss's book.

[Artemis]

If I were playing a character I would read or watch the iconic original which made the thing a beloved classic.  (Which in this case I think is the animated film, rather than the book; but I would have read the book too.)

 

[Sheerluck]

The Secret Life of Pets. A dull and by the numbers animation. There's really nothing to recommend it.

[Artemis]

1 minute ago, Sheerluck said:

The Secret Life of Pets. A dull and by the numbers animation. There's really nothing to recommend it.

That one stressed me out, lol.  I kept thinking how awful it would be to lose my dogs.

 

[Artemis]

I caught Jim Carrey’s version of The Grinch on TV yesterday while I did some cleaning.  I’ve seen it before, and I always have such mixed feelings about it.  It is so silly (made for children, obviously), but some of it is just hilarious, and there are moments of seriousness and emotional pangs.  The Grinch’s relationship to Cindy Lou is really sweet as well.  I saw an interview with Jim Carrey once where he talked about the torture (literal, physical torture) it was to make this film, and since then I have a newfound respect for it and always think about that when I watch it.

Anyway, I love the “avarice” speech.  Can’t disagree with him there.

 

 

[Artemis]

“When you realize you grew up to be the Grinch.”

 

His schedule, lol.

“4:00 - Wallow in self-pity.
4:30 - Stare into the abyss.
5:00 - Solve world hunger (tell no one).
5:30 - Jazzercise.
6:30 - Dinner with me.  I can’t cancel that again!
7:00 - Wrestle with my self-loathing... I’m booked!
Of course if I bumped the loathing to 9:00 I could still be done in time to lay in bed, stare at the ceiling and slip slowly into madness... But what would I WEAR!?”

 

[Arcadia]

2 hours ago, Carol the Dabbler said:

I can't answer any of those questions for BC -- but if I were an actor in that situation, I think I'd carefully avoid any previous adaptations because I wouldn't want them to influence my performance.  I'd want to rely on the script for any interpretation.  I might read the original story, though, which in this case would be Seuss's book.

Yes, that's basically what he said in at least one  of his interviews. I don't have time to track them down, but there were quite a few radio interviews and I remember in one of them he said virtually word for word what Carol just did. I think that's pretty common practice for actors.

[besleybean]

Doesn't anybody pay attention?! Ha.

Yes, Benedict had read Sherlock Holmes before he took the part.

Martin only read them once he had the part.

[Artemis]

5 hours ago, besleybean said:

Doesn't anybody pay attention?! Ha.

We’ve just been over this.    I don’t actively follow celebrities, actors or otherwise.  Even if they are Benedict Cumberbatch.  If I hear something about them, it’s usually happenstance.

5 hours ago, Arcadia said:

I think that's pretty common practice for actors.

Now I’m curious how many LotR actors never read LotR.

 

[Carol the Dabbler]

MF said he read The Hobbit.

And I believe BC has been a Tolkien fan for ages 

No idea about the others!

[SherlockedCAMPer]

MF said he read The Hobbit.
And I believe BC has been a Tolkien fan for ages 
No idea about the others!

I remember an interview once where Benedict said that his father read The Hobbit to him when he was young using a variety of voices for the various characters.

[Artemis]

So I ended up seeing "The Grinch" after all.  I use a "rewards" program at my theater, and I got an email this morning saying that some of the points (money) I had saved up were about to expire.  I even got popcorn this time. 

I enjoyed the movie more than I expected!  I especially liked the animals, lol.  I also thought its use of Christmas music was clever.  Songs were slipped into the background in unexpected places, and in some instances, traditionally light and cheerful songs managed to sound truly ominous, lol.  I didn't mind the choir scene, I thought it was funny.  The Grinch was legitimately mean to people, to an extent beyond my expectations.  In other versions he is said to be mean, but really isn't all that terrible (in my opinion); more grumpy than actually mean.  The original animated Grinch isn't shown interacting much with the Whos at all, aside from his brief encounter with Cindy Lou; and Jim Carrey's Grinch plays petty pranks, like crank calls and putting mail in the wrong boxes (which delight him, but are more or less oblivious to the Whos).  This one deserved to get smacked in the face by a giant inflatable snowman, lol.  At the same time, I thought he could use a hug.  Which he eventually got.

If someday another Grinch movie is made, I'd like to see a portrayal of how he ended up with Max.  No Grinch film has addressed that yet, and I think it's one of the more curious aspects of the story.

 

[Artemis]

I also saw "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms".  Formulaic and too much fluff.  I felt sorry for the father, didn't really care about the other characters.  Nothing much to say about it, probably wouldn't bother with it again.

 

[Van Buren Supernova]

On 11/13/2018 at 1:25 PM, Artemis said:

If someday another Grinch movie is made, I'd like to see a portrayal of how he ended up with Max.  No Grinch film has addressed that yet, and I think it's one of the more curious aspects of the story.

Oh so the dog is actually 'canon'?

I had never seen another Grinch movie, soI don't know. What about the f... big-sized deer? So do they make coffee?  I have to admit I gave my dog a stink eye when he does nothing to help with my chores after watching Grinch.

[Arcadia]

I don't remember any deer in the book, certainly not in the animated film (which is one of my all-time favorites, by the way). But yeah, the story doesn't function without good ole loyal Max.

[besleybean]

I have pre-ordered The Grinch DVD.

[Artemis]

No deer, and no coffee, lol.  But yes, Max is canon.    And with the Grinch living in isolation like he does, probably the only reason he's retained some semblance of sanity, lol.  He needs someone to grumble to.
 

 

[Artemis]

15 minutes ago, besleybean said:

I have pre-ordered The Grinch DVD.

Is there a DVD release date for it already?  Or is it still TBD?

 

[besleybean]

Yeah, it's stil  TBD I believe.