Semester Wrap-Up
Well, here we are.
Another semester down, another fistful of hair pulled from the root, another foot-sized hole in the wall.
For an expedited class structure, this has been a long one. I've had to play catch-up on a hefty amount of material.
At the end of the road...the best place to reflect.
Right off the bat, I've already jumped head-first into podcasts and am giving some thought to creating one of my own. I'd need to invest in a proper microphone system, but I think I have the voice and the content. I'm going to keep that idea on the dashboard for awhile. See what happens.
Meanwhile, I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
Did you hear that?
Sorry...
I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
That's...umm...that's a lot of new things for me. Right there. In that very sentence. I didn't have a clue what a RSS feed was before this semester. I thought podcasts were pretty lame before this semester. I thought blogs were pretty lame before this semester.
So, what did I learn? What will I take with me? Let me just repeat...IN MY BLOG...
I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
I'm loving this blog stuff.
Proof? Well, I promised an analysis of a famous acting performance, right? That's the whole brand, right?
Well, let me flex my branding muscles and write an analysis of a famous acting performance!
Drumroll...
Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea.
*Disclaimer* - There's a lot to be said about Casey Affleck's personal life. He's been in situations and accused of things that I do not support. This blog is purely focused on the performance in Manchester by the Sea.
Just in case you don't accept my MASSIVE and totally official credentials, I'll provide some qualifiers:
- Coming into the 2017 Oscars, the award for "Best Actor" was firmly in the hands of Denzel Washington for the movie "Fences" which was a adaptation of a play that Denzel had starred in on Broadway TWICE (once as a young man, once as an adult). Needless to say, this was Denzel's year. (I may be reviewing his performance in a later week. Suffice it to say, he didn't give the best performance in that movie.)
- Casey Affleck had a sexual assault claim resurface as we got closer to awards season, so, along with Denzel's buzz, the best actor award was pretty locked up.
- Casey Affleck wins the award for best actor.
So, the academy ignored controversy AND a highly respected actor to give Casey the award. His performance must have been pretty special, right?
Well, in my opinion, it was.
First, this performance is not for everyone. There is a degree of subtly and precision that some people find "boring" or "lifeless." Not to mention, the movie as a whole is completely average and very depressing. I'd recommend it, but not on a night that you're looking for an action-packed movie.
Casey's subtly, economy of movement and emotional efficiency are in a league of their own. This performance, in my book, immediately vaults to the level of Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain", Phillip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote" or Joaquin Phoenix in "Her"...he's that good here.
He's playing everything with the end in mind, of course, as the movie picks up a few years down the road from events that shape his character and largely comprise the climax of the film. In the first scene, we see him learn and adjust to his father's death without so much as a tear. Clearly a man that has been drained of any emotional depth.
This is where you will find the heart of the performance - complete lack of emotional depth, empathy and expression. If you are looking for tears and yelling, you won't find it here. If you want conflict and direct approach, you won't find it here. Casey wallows in a highly passive state that draws the audience in so close that, now, every eyebrow twitch or side-eye glance speaks volumes. Now, when you watch him see his father's dead body for the first time, every movement and every breath becomes pregnant with emotion. Essentially, Casey is communicating another story entirely using nonverbal choices.
More where that comes from, gang! Stay tuned!
Another semester down, another fistful of hair pulled from the root, another foot-sized hole in the wall.
For an expedited class structure, this has been a long one. I've had to play catch-up on a hefty amount of material.
At the end of the road...the best place to reflect.
Right off the bat, I've already jumped head-first into podcasts and am giving some thought to creating one of my own. I'd need to invest in a proper microphone system, but I think I have the voice and the content. I'm going to keep that idea on the dashboard for awhile. See what happens.
Meanwhile, I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
Did you hear that?
Sorry...
I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
That's...umm...that's a lot of new things for me. Right there. In that very sentence. I didn't have a clue what a RSS feed was before this semester. I thought podcasts were pretty lame before this semester. I thought blogs were pretty lame before this semester.
So, what did I learn? What will I take with me? Let me just repeat...IN MY BLOG...
I'm using a RSS feed to organize the podcasts I am listening to right now.
I'm loving this blog stuff.
Proof? Well, I promised an analysis of a famous acting performance, right? That's the whole brand, right?
Well, let me flex my branding muscles and write an analysis of a famous acting performance!
Drumroll...
Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea.
*Disclaimer* - There's a lot to be said about Casey Affleck's personal life. He's been in situations and accused of things that I do not support. This blog is purely focused on the performance in Manchester by the Sea.
Just in case you don't accept my MASSIVE and totally official credentials, I'll provide some qualifiers:
- Coming into the 2017 Oscars, the award for "Best Actor" was firmly in the hands of Denzel Washington for the movie "Fences" which was a adaptation of a play that Denzel had starred in on Broadway TWICE (once as a young man, once as an adult). Needless to say, this was Denzel's year. (I may be reviewing his performance in a later week. Suffice it to say, he didn't give the best performance in that movie.)
- Casey Affleck had a sexual assault claim resurface as we got closer to awards season, so, along with Denzel's buzz, the best actor award was pretty locked up.
- Casey Affleck wins the award for best actor.
So, the academy ignored controversy AND a highly respected actor to give Casey the award. His performance must have been pretty special, right?
Well, in my opinion, it was.
First, this performance is not for everyone. There is a degree of subtly and precision that some people find "boring" or "lifeless." Not to mention, the movie as a whole is completely average and very depressing. I'd recommend it, but not on a night that you're looking for an action-packed movie.
Casey's subtly, economy of movement and emotional efficiency are in a league of their own. This performance, in my book, immediately vaults to the level of Heath Ledger in "Brokeback Mountain", Phillip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote" or Joaquin Phoenix in "Her"...he's that good here.
He's playing everything with the end in mind, of course, as the movie picks up a few years down the road from events that shape his character and largely comprise the climax of the film. In the first scene, we see him learn and adjust to his father's death without so much as a tear. Clearly a man that has been drained of any emotional depth.
This is where you will find the heart of the performance - complete lack of emotional depth, empathy and expression. If you are looking for tears and yelling, you won't find it here. If you want conflict and direct approach, you won't find it here. Casey wallows in a highly passive state that draws the audience in so close that, now, every eyebrow twitch or side-eye glance speaks volumes. Now, when you watch him see his father's dead body for the first time, every movement and every breath becomes pregnant with emotion. Essentially, Casey is communicating another story entirely using nonverbal choices.
More where that comes from, gang! Stay tuned!
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