Pajiba

Jesus, when she cries, she looks like Skeletor but with less meat on her bones.

was she really crying prior to shooting someone with a rifle?

I agree, Barnes. Directors are supposed to be the grownups. Look what Jim Carrey can do when somebody reins him in. The same has to be true of dramatic overactors.

Also, Barnes, she was great in Boogie Nights, but I think great acting has more than one note. She has a few, but not enough to get the credit she gets. Sort of like Tom Hanks. It doesn't mean she won't be fabulous in certain roles, but I feel like versatility is an important part of being called a great actor. Look at, say, Alfred Molina or Philip Seymour Hoffman. Those cats can do anything. Versatility isn't a requirement to entertain me, but it is where I separate the actors from the larger group of entertainers.

PSH has great range, but I often find him mannered and ungenerous to other actors.

Eep, you're absolutely right. My theory is that, over the last twenty years or so, the proverbial "we" has a tendency to overpraise actors more often than not. I attribute that to the prominence of 'independent' film in the mainstream. Among critics and bloggers and such, there tends to be this quasi group think that when an actor shoots to notoriety via an indie film, then automatically they're deserving of more praise and compliment than they may actually deserve. I'd say Ms. Moore would certainly qualify in such a category. Like you said, she's got a couple of notes that, when nailed, are brilliant. But beyond that, the versatility is lacking.

You're example of Philip Seymour Hoffman is also well placed. It's almost a shame he won an Oscar for "Capote" when his range and versatility is so much more than just the ability to successfully pull off an impersonation (which, we know, Oscar loves to acknowledge). Just look at his slate from 2007..."Charlie Wilson's War", "Before The Devil Knows Your Dead", and "The Savages". Three completely different films with three drastically different characters for Mr. Hoffman. He nails all three, convincingly.

PSH... he'll always be Dusty to me.

"He's gonna rue the day he came up against The Extreme, baby. Bill, I'm talkin' imminent rueage.

Julianne Moore Acting Report Card
Being a Convincing Porn Star: A
Being a Convincing Lesbian: A-
Being a Convincing Female Character in a Film Featuring Extra-Terrestrial Life: C
Mastering the Art of Crying: B-
Mastering the Art of a Boston Accent: F

I think Julianne Moore is fantastic and ugly tears is just a sign of commitment! I am, however, really disappointed there's no Magnolia clips. That's a helluva performance.

"How dare you!" - Julianne Moore

this seemed unworthy of HH. My understanding is the video shows how often Julianne Moore, while acting out the role of a human being in a drama, somewhere during the film depicts one of the more common reactions to a slew of emotional situations.

I don't say this as a Moore fan, I had no idea she had been in so many films, just that the idea was absurd. might as well make fun of how often an actor has laughed or raised their voice in their filmography.

i think the issue here, idleprimate, is not so much just that she cries while, as you say, depicting a common reaction to an emotional situation, but that she cries so often and usually tends to sob rather than shedding a tear.

one of my favourite acting professors used to say that intense emotional reactions, especially in film where the audience is much closer to the action (rather than 20 rows away from an actor on stage), are often more powerful when subdued - crying is just crying, but there is a full spectrum of emotions one goes through just prior to crying or fighting back tears. also, there tends to be a more powerful empathic reaction from an audience when they see a character fighting back tears than when watching someone sobbing.

obviously, there are instances where tears and/or sobbing and hysteria are the proper response but this should be just another weapon in your acting arsenal rather than the go-to response. for Moore it seems that she all too often falls back on this crutch - she skips the other emotions and goes directly to the water works.

also, in real life most people tend to get irritated by cry-babies.

I never thought watching someone cry could be so amusing. It only thing better would be if a NY Yankees cap was digitally inserted on her head.

@causaubon,

I can sort of get on board with that. it's maybe lacking finesse, or subtlety as a depiction. of course every clip just showed "the cry", not the context or what went before, etc.

but then, often what makes clip videos entertaining is often the removal of context and the juxtaposition.

HH makes awesome vids, i still wouldn't put this one anywhere other than the bottom of the list.

I'd like to see one of pacino yelling himself to the grave, or brad pitts geeky horse laugh.

I dunno - I think she acquits herself marvelously, even under severe scrutiny. Essentially, I'll take her over plenty of other leading ladies I could think of.

But - Harry - you got a weapon here - slay the MOST deserving! I'm talking Jennifer Aniston 'awww, so cute!' face, Micheal Madsen's scwunchy eyebrow uplook, Julia Robert's donkey bray...nothing wrong with hitting satisfyingly easy targets.

(although, for the love of my libido, keep Goldblum out of it.)

I want to be HH when I grow up.

Actually, I take that back. I just want HH to still be doing this when I grow up.

what HH needs to do is make a video, aprox 9 minutes long, consisting of 2-8 second clips of EVERY FUCKING TIME SOMEONE CRACKS THEIR NECK WITH A HEAD TILT TO SIGNIFY THEY ARE BRINGING ON THE HEAVY.

I guarantee, if he makes the vid and it goes viral, we never have to see that again. we can lapse into action mode and not be jarred out of it with such an overused embarassing visual trope.

I work in a violent security oriented industry and no one ever feels the need to give there neck a sudden amateur chiropactic maneuver before dashing into the fray.

seriously, try it, it just hurts with no positive benefit, and no psychological benefit for psyching out the subject.

Oh, brilliant ending.

Also: WHY IS IT SO FUNNY?!

Um, yeah, she's crying all the way to the bank, ya bunch of haters.

Seriously, though, I think JM is an amazing. If you weren't moved by her performance in "The Hours," then you are clearly dead on the inside. Dead.

Pink Hulk...haters? What the hell kind of point/defense is that? Do you just run around this site and others throwing that line down every time you disagree with someone? Better yet, does anyone throw that line in your lap when you critique and/or complain about a public figure, regardless of their capacity?

All this free time and you could have created something original. You probably don't know how to do that, though.