r/FIlm

Life of Brian queued up for tonight.

Related to the difference between fear and respect. Henry says a kid carried groceries for the relative of a mobster out of respect. was is respect or just fear out of what might happen if people didnt show forced respect?

In my opinion, Sellers had a far more interesting performance. I'll preface this by saying I am not a fan of Kramer vs. Kramer, and thought it was quite overrated. That being said, I thought the performances were a highlight. But while I thought Hoffman was quite good, and think he's an incredible actor, I just didn't think it was as special as Peter Sellers as Chance the Gardner.

Hoffman was very good, but he wasn't anything unique to me. At least as a modern viewer I felt like it was good, just nothing to write home about. I'd already seen plenty of great dramatic performances. But Sellers was something else. I don't believe I've seen anything quite like it. The voice and mannerisms are so perfect. And he captures the tone perfectly. Being There has a very quiet and somewhat melancholic atmosphere, combined with incredible comedy. Sellers really sold that atmosphere and tone. He was able to do both simultaneously, which is a really rare thing to see.

I think playing a blank slate is very difficult. Chance has no ego, past, or real motivation. He is empty but everyone projects onto him. He can't be too funny or too empty because the movie wouldn't work. It's more complicated than the more naturalistic performance Hoffman gave, in my opinion. I feel like the comedy bias, and the film being ahead of it's time really killed it's chance for the oscars (didn't even get a best picture nom). But it still holds up so well today.

Welcome to This Week’s Binge Thread!

This is the place to share what you’ve been watching lately - movies, series, documentaries, anything!
Any hidden gem, a blockbuster, or even something you regret watching, we’d love to hear about it.

Things you can share:

• ⭐ What you watched (movie/series name + year if possible)
• 💭 Your quick thoughts/review (liked it? hated it? somewhere in between?)
• 🎯 Would you recommend it to others here?
• 📺 What’s on your watchlist for next week?

A few guidelines:

• Keep spoilers clearly marked (use spoiler tags >!like this!<).
• Be respectful of different tastes – not everyone enjoys the same genres.
• Recommendations are encouraged – the more variety, the better!

🍿 So… what have you been watching this week?

It's not hard to spot when an actor is delivering a great performance. It takes a bit more practice to pay close enough attention to cinematography and sound, but it's still pretty easy to pick up just from watching enough movies.

But I really have no idea what markers signify good editing and good direction. Film buffs - and award ceremonies - obviously pick this stuff out but I can't.

What do I need to learn to look for?