Wednesday, April 6, 2011

K-k-k-ing's S-s-s-peech

It is so painful watching Colin Firth stammering and stuttering on the TV screen. Feeling so sad for the poor bugger. Before the whole hype about the movie, I thought, really? An entire movie on speech therapy?

It's a really nice change to see Helena Bonham Carter as a normal person instead of raving mad Bella Lestrange or Queen of Hearts. And I couldn't place Geoffrey Rush either except as 'that Pirates of the Caribbean' guy. Davy Jones, Captain Barbosa, blah blah, no recollection.

So what makes a good actor? Being a chameleon I suppose. The ability to not just act, but become the character, to convince you that they're really who they portray on screen. Some movie stars are so overexposed by the glitz and fame that they become merely famous personalities. Or they've played a particular character for so long (cough, Twilight, cough, Harry Potter, cough) that it's impossible to separate the person from who they play.

Which is why the movie's so great. Firstly, these actors are insanely convincing. Secondly, it's a delightfully fresh plot. Thirdly, it's British humour at its subtlest. What would we do without that stiff upper lip.

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