Singers Becoming Actors, Legit or Not?

In today’s society, it is anything but uncommon to see a popular singer try their luck in hollywood.  However, it is a little peculiar how every popular singer just “happens” to have acting skill.  At first glance, it may appear that these singers are just using their celebrity status to weasel their way through hollywood without any legitimate acting skills.  Unfortunately, this is generally the case (i.e. 50 cent or Miley Cyrus).  Yet there are those few precious diamond in the rough singers that make a smooth and successful transition into the acting world.  This transformation can be witnessed in two particular actors.  The first being Mark Wahlberg.  Most people now view Mark Wahlberg as solely an actor, however, many people overlook the fact that he began his career as a member of “New Kids on the Block”, a popular 90’s boy band.  Mark has found a considerable amount of success in Hollywood in roles such as “The Departed” or “Hereafter”.  Another of these successful “singers gone actors” is Justin Timberlake.  Timberlake has a persona that is very difficult to shake.  Many people view him as a prissy, pretty boy, boy band star.  However, if you actually take the time to watch this guys acting ability, you will realize he is not half bad.  He has provided compelling performances in his roles in “Alpha Dog” and “The Social Network”.  All in all, singers generally flop in the acting world, however, every now and then you will get that one guy that can vascillate between the two worlds.

Student Poll

For the 8th installment of this blog, I am going out and gathering a more broad opinion rather than just my own.  I am polling 19 students and asking them what their favorite movie is they have seen this year.  This will be an attempt to simulate America’s public opinion on how the film industry is doing this year and what has been hot and what is not.

RESULTS:

1) Inception (8 votes)

2) Sherlock Holmes (2 votes)

3) Easy A (2 votes)

4) The switch (1 vote)

5) Avatar (1 vote)

6) Kick-Ass (1 vote)

7) The Blind-Side (1 vote)

8 ) Despicable Me (1 vote)

The category “I don’t know” received 3 votes

Sad Day for Comedy

Recently on HBO I have viewed a number of old comedies.  Some of the absolute classics from the 70’s and 80’s.  These have including comedic classics such as Animal House or Chevy Chase vacation movies.  These films have put me in the mood for a new and fresh comedy.  Therefore I have gone to the theatre and viewed some of the latest “hit” comedies.  These include the films Grown-Ups and Dinner for Schmucks.  Boy did I feel like a schmuck after watching these two keepers (sarcasm).  Both films are chalked full of super-star casts filled with the latest hilarious comedy stars.  I’m sure the producers of these films wrote these big name actors fat checks in order to draw in large audiences.  However, even the likes of comedy legends Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade could not recessitate this sad excuse for a movie from it’s lonely grave.  The film was absolutely terrible.  It gave me one of those feelings when I was legitimately a little embarassed walking out of the theatre after seeing such an abomination of cinema.  However, I did expect Grown-Ups to be a little cheesy going into the movie so I will cut it a little slack.  Dinner for Schmucks was a different story.  I was highly anticipating this movie given the hilarious previews and great cast starring Steve Carrel and Paul Rudd.  It. Was. Horrible.  Not quite as bad as Grown-Ups, but I expected so much more out of this movie.  The jokes were lame, Steve Carrel’s character showed glimpse of light but quickly got stale, and the plot was predictable and redundant.  The only positive part of this film was the cooky transcendentalist photographer.  Overall, I give Grown-Ups a D and Dinner for Schmucks a C-.

Crazy Heart

Just recently I viewed the film “Crazy Heart.”  This movie was a highly praised Oscar contender and rightfully so.  In my opinion, it was a better film than “The Hurt Locker” which won the academy award for Best Picture.  The Hurt Locker was  a phenomenal film, however, it was victim to a very common category: war movies.  What differentiated it from other war movies was the manner in which it was filmed and it’s superb directing.  However, Crazy Heart was in a category of it’s own.  It was unlike any other movie I’d seen.  I can’t even begin to grasp the myriad of war movies I’ve sat through, but the tragic tale of a washed up country singer is an unprecedented viewing experience.

Crazy Heart details the struggle and journey of a music artist named Bad, played by Jeff Bridges.  Bad is down on his luck, an alcoholic, and broke.  On his pathetic journey through his mid-life chrisis, Bad meets a female reporter, played by Maggie Gyllenhal.  These two develop an unlikely romance that grows throughout the movie.  However, alcohalism catches up with Bad and reality settles in.  After a series of climactic fallouts, Bad is ultimately left deserted and with nothing.  This stark realization compels him to go to rehab and clean up his life leading to a feel-good ending.

What I liked about Crazy Heart was it’s ability to effectively capture reality.  It wasn’t the stereotypical tale of an artist that goes from nothing to superstar, on the contrary it was quite the opposite.  It was the tale of a has-been who’s life is in a treacherous downward spiral.  The fact that Bad finds redemption in the end is possibly a bit of a waivering from the film’s overall tone of declivity but it makes a good ending for those who seek a nice ending.