There’s Just Not Enough Room On This Screen For Both Of Us!
A dash of housekeeping Tony Micelli style, where I comment on a few things.
Is it wrong to have a thing for Audrina Patridge? I mean how is she not the new Britney Gastineau. Wait I guess she is the new Britney Gastineau, just more famous.
Why do I download Living Lohan every week? I mean sure I end up writing stuff and possibly vomiting during it, but still I totally check it out. Maybe I just like watching a mother live vicariously through her daughters, while her sons rot in a purgatory called unfamous.
Did I really just see the Two Coreys argue if Michael Jackson molested them? Whoa. Say what you will about it being scripted or not, that’s some harsh shit to dig up. But, here’s the thing, I swear they should’ve just made this show the Corey Haim Comeback Special. The guy really does have talent and all of his scenes are reality gold. I’m also glad to see he’s got a role in Crank 2 with Jason Statham because if he can stay clean, there is no reason that guy can’t be a good character actor in smaller films. And why is it Feldman comes across as a douche on every reality show he’s on. I swear his performance on this and Surreal Life has totally made me redefine my opinion on Friday The 13th part 4.
Ok so my notes on soccer, basketball, and hockey and then we’ll get to the real blog post.
So yes, my beloved Pens lost a few weeks ago. They played valiantly, but weren’t ready to step up to the next level, quite yet. The team HAS to spend money on defense and their free agents, because they’ve got a superstar nucleus for the next few years.
Dallas Mavs NBA draft. Damn you Jason Kidd. No new picks for an aging team! How thoughtful of the Nets to demand them as part of the trade?
Ok soccer. Congrats Spain.(Especially my man/Arsenal superstar Cesc Fabregas. And a friend of mine loves Torres so shout out to him even though he plays for the hated Liverpool).
But, the real pain in fact came from the Netherlands playing like a futbol juggernaut in the group stage, with every one of the midfielders looking like glamorous superstars, only to struggle in the Quarter-Finals and look lethargic and defensively inept. Except for Wesley Sneider who has to be made captain after these finals. I though Rafael Van der Vaart would be that player, but it was Madrid’s Sneider who showed that he has the heart to lead a club to prominence.
Ok so back to the title of this blog…
This Screen Isn’t Big Enough For The Both Of Us!
So I finally saw “The Other Boleyn Girl” yesterday and I will say that despite people having a tendency to slam it, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t great either, but it was certainly better than Marie Antoinette.
It’s shot pretty well, Eric Bana is solid as the king and made me want to go see his work in Troy, and the general plot of “love” and women used as political pieces is an interesting one. In fact this plot could’ve made for a stellar period piece, but…
The problems arise in one simple fact. There is not enough room for Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson on the same screen. When you see most period pieces you almost always have that one strong and/or beautiful actress(lets say Keira Knightley or Dame Judi Dench) and character players that fill the other maiden roles(say Shirley Henderson, Carey Mulligan, or even the absurdly beautiful Romola Garai.) Now you probably don’t recognize those last couple of names, but they have been smaller yet important roles in period pieces. They don’t crowd the leading lady’s space or try to one up her performance, they are there to support it and make you root for or against the leading heroine or villainess.
And using those parameters, it’s easy to see how the film both got made and how it fails. Im sure the producer was like “Holy Crap!!!! We can get Natalie aaaaaaaaaand Scarlett in the main roles? Lets do it.” And it does indeed sound like a dream team, like Heat or The Forbidden Kingdom. But, the problem is you really aren’t sure who the lead is and having them both as co-lead just blocks any attachment or rooting interest the audience might develop for either character. But, in the acting department, both are solid enough. Scarlett is probably better in the film, but, mad/sad Natalie is definitely a winner. However, I swear that I’m tired of these Natalie period pieces. Can someone PLEASE give her a modern script that lets her use her natural charm. She is one of those actresses that is REALLY good when she’s playing a character that’s natural and more like herself(i.e. Mr. Magorium’s), but not as powerful when she’s doing something that has no resemblance to her personality(i.e. this movie. Closer. lots of examples.)
Anyway, I think the theorum of the period piece is simple, character actors alongside, your one or two heavier players. I’m interested to see if Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley can coexist in this new Dylan Thomas biopic that’s coming out, so I can test this theory out.
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