The Silver Screen Oasis

I'm no Batman fan but Affleck has been around for some time so I don't get the fuss. Is he really that wrong?

Wayne hadn't done much before and this was a huge film to let someone as new as Wayne carry it. From the times I have seen it most everyone seems pretty stiff anyway. The action scenes were good and the scenery was put to good use. The acting wasn't going to knock anyone over though.

I don't have a problem with Ben Affleck. It's all the comic fanboys (and girls), it seems. I like Affleck. People get so worked up about their favorite characters when a film version is made of a book or a comic.

I guess my point with Wayne is that, even though he was a newcomer in a lead role, who's to say that means he can't carry it off? Then I extend that sentiment to today, where so many judge a performance without seeing it first. It just seems unfair.

Sandy K

There was Facebook post going around that said, "People in Syria are being gassed by the hundred, and we're worried about Ben Affleck playing Batman?"

I agree, Sandy and Red. It's kind of silly to get so bent out of shape over Ben Affleck. I like him too. And he and Matt Damon were unknowns when they burst on the scene with Good Will Hunting. Remember how naive and young they seemed when they were at the Oscars that year? I say, Hollywood needs new blood occasionally. Walsh also discovered Rock Hudson. I wish that sidebar article had talked more about Walsh's earlier discoveries.

As for Wayne, I love The Big Trail and him in it. His acting isn't all that great, but his PRESENCE knocked me for a loop the first time I saw it. I found myself totally understanding why he became a big star...it was like a wave hit me when I watched him and I felt, "THIS is a star in the making". You can't take your eyes off him. He moves beautifully, and he's so natural compared to everyone else. He fits perfectly into that natural woodsy setting, like a giant redwood or pine tree himself.

He was one of that new breed (and I sometimes forget he came up with this lot of actors) - the Cagneys and the Tracys and the Gables, the men who were much more naturalistic in their acting, more forceful than all the emoters that came before. Actors who weren't afraid to react in a more simplistic way, almost viscerally, if you know what I mean. And that is catching to the audience. You feel them inside rather than watch them at a distance. Even if they are just standing there, you want to know what they are getting ready to do. It must have been exciting to go to the movies in 1930, seeing this new style.

JackFavell wrote:
As for Wayne, I love The Big Trail and him in it. His acting isn't all that great, but his PRESENCE knocked me for a loop the first time I saw it. I found myself totally understanding why he became a big star...it was like a wave hit me when I watched him and I felt, "THIS is a star in the making". You can't take your eyes off him. He moves beautifully, and he's so natural compared to everyone else. He fits perfectly into that natural woodsy setting, like a giant redwood or pine tree himself.

Nicely Written Here ...

His acting isn't all that great, but his PRESENCE knocked me for a loop the first time I saw it

The epitome of "movie star." Marilyn had the same effect. So did Audrey Hepburn. Maybe they were good actors. Maybe they weren't. It didn't really matter. Their personalities simply exploded on the screen. I can't NOT watch a John Wayne movie. I can't NOT enjoy it to some degree. A good story helps. Efficient direction is a plus. But watching that strong, stubborn bear of a man move, talk, think and act is enough for me. That's a movie star!

Exactly, red. He's just got that something that connects right to you.

I posted this in the Ben Johnson thread but also posting it here for those who might miss it in the Ben thread.

From the July 1950 issue of Movie Thrills magazine.

Was this at the Field Photo Farm, do you know?

MissGoddess wrote:Was this at the Field Photo Farm, do you know?

I bet you're right, Miss G. Wonderful photo with a nice dose of infectious fun in it, Paula. Thanks for posting.

Red River is getting the deluxe treatment from the Criterion Collection. Blu-ray/DVD release on May 27.

http://www.criterion.com/films/28046-red-river

Sweet! A magnificent, if flawed, American epic. Gene Siskel's favorite western.

This review from the National Post ends with a little tidbit I didn't know about: Scott Eyman will be appearing on TCM this month to promote not just his book but a mega Blu-ray set being released. The interview is quite insightful about Scott's motives, what his modus operandi is when approaching such material, and the sources/interviews he conducted for this book---we also learn what sets it apart from the dozens of other biographies on Wayne.

http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/04/02 ... e-swagger/