Yeah, sorry. Keanu seems like a super cool guy but he’s almost always pretty terrible onscreen. I dont have any real issues with Cage. He’s in a lot of bad movies (among which, sorry, I count Knowing) but he himself is ok. And I think what you see him do in movies really is how he is. Just look up a talk show interview. Unless he’s interviewing “in character”, yeah, dude’s a weirdo.
Know about Knowing?
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NorBro
Major Contributor
Why not? (I may need to visit Australia one day to see what's over there.)
He's good looking, can get ripped, taller than average, humble...he doesn't say much which is a draw in itself. He's been in some classics as well (all of these 90s/2000s guys have) and the Wicks propelled him to another likeable level for various reasons. The fight scenes in those movies are crazy complex; not many actors would be able to pull them off (he does all kinds of martial arts training). So this skill alone is enough to say he belongs in the movie business because we need big names who can do that well on the big screen. It's not just about acting.
[Side note...'Speed' was one of the first movies I remember watching in my life.]
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If someone watched one of your music videos and saw you dancing around in bike shorts, would they not think you are too? lol
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Someone should make a thread about "90s actors".
Travolta is another guy who people might love to hate. I had no idea he was in 'Grease' until like 5 years ago. Completely irrelevant to me but some people may love him for that or of course 'Pulp Fiction' while I enjoyed him playing the bad guy in 'The Punisher', lol.
It's all about personal impact and perspective.
Watching these people act and forming negative opinions about them is just like going out, meeting people, and saying..."Oh, I didn't like him/her, he's/she's _________." And then someone could be like "What are you talking about?".
It's all about that individual perspective and your outlook on life and even your life experiences. If you don't have many, you may not be as open-minded to understand or accept.
ya but do you have screen presence?
I must admit I've seen Keanu Reeves in only two movies. I think the last I saw was the remake of "Day The Earth Stood Still"", and I can honestly say I hardly noticed that he was in it. I found myself looking past him at the other actors, in an effort to keep interested in the film. I think he is, without a doubt, the most robotic-looking actor in movies, bar none. That blank face should have worked for DTESS, but even Michael Rennie showed some emotion in his turn.
The fact that Cage even brings out his "eccentric" number in interviews just makes me dislike him all the more. I mean, I know that people who do film acting for a living are a shade odd to start with, but when they keep up that act in everyday situations I just think, "C'mon! Cut it out! Be f*** normal at least some of the time!" We all know it's an act, we know why they do it, and we get that it's part and parcel of their resumé for getting work in films. But he doesn't seem to understand that, once you've found buyers for your act, it's not necessary to keep doing it all the time. Just makes him look dumb.
Those are all valuable features for, say, a male model. But the guy is in a different line of work. It's one where the first prerequisite is to be able to pretend that you're someone else, and to keep up that pretence for the running time of the movie and to never let your pretence fail. Plus you must be able to make that pretence so convincing that the audience experiences the same emotions they would feel in real life if they saw you on the street. All actors since the earliest times have known and accepted that obligation.
Well, there I must disagree! It is all about acting. In fact, especially in fight scenes is it all about acting. At the very least, they have to have the training to know how to act as if they've just been smacked hard, when they haven't actually been touched. After they've wowed the audience with their seeming ability to survive violent assaults, they must be able to call upon real acting ability to show the audience how they felt about being assaulted in the first place. That requires acting skills, not athletic skills.
How old are you, may I ask?
Well that's everyday life, isn't it. Some people you meet don't impress you favourably, and others do. Some of your friends will agree, and others won't. I think we usually form negative feelings towards people in real life if we find that they're not really who they're pretending to be. I know a few odd bods like that. But when we get those negative feeling about real people, we generally keep it to ourselves, or only mention it to close friends. With actors, however, who have already put themselves up for our scrutiny, the rules are less clear. No actor or other public figure wants to be disliked. But if you become an actor, knowing you're henceforth going to exposed to the public's gaze, you have to be prepared to be disliked.
Well, Bro, I have more life experiences than I care to recall at this age.
And my perspective on life is that sincerity is better than pretence, in every facet of life. I dislike Nic Cage, not just because his acting is contrived and transparent, but because he himself is. To me, it stands to reason that an individual who repeatedly presents a false persona, in real life as well as in make-believe life, is living a dishonest life.combatentropy
Veteran
Fake people push me away too, and yet I like Nic Cage. He doesn't come across to me as putting on an act. Quite the opposite.
When people say he comes off the same in interviews, I think they mean his quirky shy persona, not that he gets all loud and crazy.
Even in his movies when he gets crazy, I don't get the vibe that it's fake. It comes across to me more like Nic Cage is allowing a crazy part of himself, deep down in the abyss, to show itself with little translation --- whereas another actor might tame, attenuate, and put a fashionable set of clothes on the raw emotion within.
I didn't care for Knowing though. In fact there are several movies of his that I didn't like or don't even want to try. What movies have you seen him in? I liked Leaving Las Vegas, Matchstick Men, Adaptation, and The Family Man. It's really weird that he worked in quirky art movies as well as a leading man in action flicks. I remember enjoying National Treasure, Con Air, and The Rock (which is doubly weird because I normally can't stand Michael's Bayhem).
When people say he comes off the same in interviews, I think they mean his quirky shy persona, not that he gets all loud and crazy.
Even in his movies when he gets crazy, I don't get the vibe that it's fake. It comes across to me more like Nic Cage is allowing a crazy part of himself, deep down in the abyss, to show itself with little translation --- whereas another actor might tame, attenuate, and put a fashionable set of clothes on the raw emotion within.
I didn't care for Knowing though. In fact there are several movies of his that I didn't like or don't even want to try. What movies have you seen him in? I liked Leaving Las Vegas, Matchstick Men, Adaptation, and The Family Man. It's really weird that he worked in quirky art movies as well as a leading man in action flicks. I remember enjoying National Treasure, Con Air, and The Rock (which is doubly weird because I normally can't stand Michael's Bayhem).
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NorBro
Major Contributor
Early 30s...definitely not young but it's maybe good to mention age because I was actually thinking that you sounded a bit older ("old-school").
In Hollywood, it's of course not just all about acting, at least not anymore. Today, a lot of it is also about drawing big money with the best fit that's available. And also about luck & the stars aligning perfectly in the universe for some people in some roles that many others could have done just as well in. While others may go completely unnoticed and undervalued. [But that's a different conversation for another time.]
Also - and I'm saying this kindly - I cannot really understand or appreciate your strong feelings about Keanu Reeves (it could have been anyone) after seeing him in only two movies. Granted that's enough for you to feel how you feel - and that's fine for you - but I don't think that's very fair.
Like if you told me you simply did not enjoy 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', cool.
But to watch 2 movies and say you can never (never) understand why he is in the movie business just doesn't make sense to me.
Also, I think you are being too hard on NC. He can of course act normal in interviews. He may be a bit more animated than others, but again - it's just his personality. He even kept the one below on track after it started a bit awkwardly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXwI6wzs-sY
It's all good with me either way, but I'm just not one to criticize anyone's acting. If I enjoy the movie, I enjoy the movie. If I don't (for any reason), I don't.
It is what it is; everyone always has something to say about something.
I have a friend who's very critical about everyone...and I always tell him: If millions (billions) of people like all of these individuals you are consistently disapproving of ("I don't like him.", "I don't like her."), which human is maybe the problem?
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P.S. 'The Family Man' is great!
In Hollywood, it's of course not just all about acting, at least not anymore. Today, a lot of it is also about drawing big money with the best fit that's available. And also about luck & the stars aligning perfectly in the universe for some people in some roles that many others could have done just as well in. While others may go completely unnoticed and undervalued. [But that's a different conversation for another time.]
Also - and I'm saying this kindly - I cannot really understand or appreciate your strong feelings about Keanu Reeves (it could have been anyone) after seeing him in only two movies. Granted that's enough for you to feel how you feel - and that's fine for you - but I don't think that's very fair.
Like if you told me you simply did not enjoy 'The Day the Earth Stood Still', cool.
But to watch 2 movies and say you can never (never) understand why he is in the movie business just doesn't make sense to me.
Also, I think you are being too hard on NC. He can of course act normal in interviews. He may be a bit more animated than others, but again - it's just his personality. He even kept the one below on track after it started a bit awkwardly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXwI6wzs-sY
It's all good with me either way, but I'm just not one to criticize anyone's acting. If I enjoy the movie, I enjoy the movie. If I don't (for any reason), I don't.
It is what it is; everyone always has something to say about something.
I have a friend who's very critical about everyone...and I always tell him: If millions (billions) of people like all of these individuals you are consistently disapproving of ("I don't like him.", "I don't like her."), which human is maybe the problem?
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P.S. 'The Family Man' is great!
Hmmmm.. well, maybe... But I'm not just talking about him putting on an act while he's, er, acting. I mean that he, as an individual who has taken up film acting as his profession, is personally a fake kind of guy, a superficial person. And I think that's what shows itself when he's in a movie. And that's what gets me.
I've only ever watched two movies with him in it, right to the end. One was "knowing". And that was because I particularly like apocalypse movies. The other was "The Rock", and that was because I like Sean Connery enough to overlook any flaws in his movies.
combatentropy
Veteran
Yes, I know that's what you're saying.
I think I know what your problem is
I think I would be sick of Nic Cage if I watched Knowing over and over again.I'm not even that big of a fan of Nic Cage. This thread just caught my eye because your impression of him is the opposite of mine. To me he seems unusually sincere and an overall kind person, both in a movie and in reality. Forbes named him "one of the most generous stars in Hollywood." --- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Cage#Charitable_activities
I further contend that general audiences would never buy that many tickets to watch a man who oozes superficiality the way you say he does. He has a deliberately swooshy acting style that is very unusual, but I see his heart through his eyes, even when he's doing a silly face. (Who knows, maybe he was not that great in Knowing, I can't remember, I've only seen it once. Try a couple more flicks. Moonstruck is also fun.)
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Tactfully put, Bro.
I am most definitely old school, my age being twice yours plus a bit more.Yes that's true, and more's the pity. I suppose it was inevitable that filmed stories about people would eventually be somewhat overtaken by filmed slide shows about shiney toys. But still, I don't think human beings will ever grow out of the need for good honest stories about other human beings.
Well, I would have said that my negative feelings about KR are not legitimate, (since they are formed after only two instances of acting,) rather than not fair, .
But I had a good reason, I think. Those two movies were different enough to require particular styles of acting, but he seemed to offer exactly the same demeanour in each of them. I felt like I was watching a guy who had just happened to wander on to the set, and was offered a job because the real actor was off sick. I get absolutely nothing from him, not even a blank vibe.
Yes he certainly looked a bit ill at ease in that interview. Maybe because he was afraid of it being found out that he doesn't really speak with that voice at home??
You don't criticise some actors? Really?
Well that wouldn't work on me, Bro. I never go with the "popular view", until I've decided it's also my view.
I think I know what your problem is
Lol! Well, there's always the payoff at the end, where he gets roasted along with everybody else.
I make a point of ignoring media "experts" and anything on Wikipedia, Com. It keeps life simple.
And I might watch "Knowing" again tonight.:laugh:
Back in 1991-92, I used to hang out with one of my ex-coworkers a lot. He was a big Seal fan and had that weird tape that had four different mixes of "Crazy" - the FM/MTV version, the extended dance mix, the 'average" length and so on. And his car stereo head unit had an auto-reverse, so that one cassette was all he had to play. After a while, I told him to find some other tape. He wouldn't listen..... I think I know what your problem is
BTW, I still hate that song.
combatentropy
Veteran
That's mean.
Mischugge.
Jim Arthurs
Well-known member
Knowing was one of the first big budget "shot on RED" movies with the original RED ONE (not sure if it was the upgraded sensor or not). I remember seeing it in the theater (35mm print) just to get a sense of how RED imagery looked on the big screen. I just remember thinking how hard some of the long take VFX tracking shots would have been with all that rolling shutter...