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Post by mariposa on Oct 9, 2011 10:52:07 GMT -5
Despite its flaws, a very enjoyable film, and definitely the best I have ever seen in terms of its depiction of Marco.
Fele Martinez is an excellent actor. He has appeared in a few Almodovar films, amongst others, and you have to be brilliant to be one of his chosen few (Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas count amongst this number). His acting lifted a slightly silly script, with some fairly brash editing - which, at times, made the plot incomprehensible - to something sensitive and quirky. The actress who played Carmo was also talented, although I did feel that she hammed it up a little too much at times.
The director has been involved in script writing for a lot of British TV over the years. Some of the silliness reminded me of a soap opera that focuses on university students. It's tawdry, and the characters always seem to die before they reach the age of 30 (being old is a crime), but they have always dealt with disabled characters in a markedly more mature fashion than other programmes of its ilk. I suspect he may have been behind this.
As for the griminess, it didn't bother me at all, and I really liked the confidence that his character exuded. And the captions were droll and informative.
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Post by devogirl on Oct 9, 2011 12:17:22 GMT -5
I agree, Fele Martinez is amazing in Carmo. Why is he more convincing than the real para in the other movie we watched? Or if not more convincing, at least more interesting to watch--he conveys so much with just one look.
So what are these tawdry British TV shows with disabled characters? Titles please!
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Post by mariposa on Oct 9, 2011 13:49:55 GMT -5
It's called Hollyoaks. He's obviously embarrassed about it, as it's hardly mentioned in any of his biogs, but I just googled and I was right. I haven't watched it for a few years, but I happened to notice one of the Saturday newspapers reporting (see the fake nonchalance?) on a new wheeler character joining the show. He also appeared in a comedy called Cast Offs, about a group of disabled people who get stranded on a desert island for a reality TV show. It wasn't particularly devy, (he's not really my type - a bit earnest and sporty) and the humour didn't quite hit the mark in my opinion, but at least it was written by disabled writers and used disabled actors. It was unashamedly straightforward about disability issues, so a good thing overall. The thing is, I think I would rather have a non-disabled actor who can actually act than the other way round but maybe we'll have both in the near future. Who knows... www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/features/interview_with_new_hollyoaks_actor_peter.shtml |
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Post by mariposa on Oct 9, 2011 13:54:51 GMT -5
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Post by Valkyrja on Oct 13, 2011 11:57:49 GMT -5
Thank you Maripossa... he is pretty hot... ;D   There´s something I´m asking myself... I can´t understand why real wheelers aren´t called to act in movies with wheelers. If the storyline needs to show him/her in a pre-injury state... why don´t they use CGI like they use with AB actors to make them look like wheelers! See what they achieved with "Jake Sully"... and what about "Captain America" the CGI was amazing... So, use CGI to show the glimpse they need to show about a pre injury... and let the good and hot disabled actors to act! |
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Post by ruthmadison on Oct 13, 2011 13:34:48 GMT -5
T There´s something I´m asking myself... I can´t understand why real wheelers aren´t called to act in movies with wheelers. If the storyline needs to show him/her in a pre-injury state... why don´t they use CGI like they use with AB actors to make them look like wheelers! See what they achieved with "Jake Sully"... and what about "Captain America" the CGI was amazing... So, use CGI to show the glimpse they need to show about a pre injury... and let the good and hot disabled actors to act! Agreed! This is one of those things I rant about frequently. It's a catch-22. The casting directors *claim* that they can't find disabled actors for these parts. Probably because there aren't enough roles. Which is why they should be willing to cast disabled actors in non-disabled roles. I haven't managed to get in touch with Thornton yet, but I am going to be running an interview on Monday with Teal Sherer, a paraplegic actress who is doing her best to break down barriers. |
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Post by ruthmadison on Oct 13, 2011 13:35:59 GMT -5
I agree, Fele Martinez is amazing in Carmo. Why is he more convincing than the real para in the other movie we watched? Or if not more convincing, at least more interesting to watch--he conveys so much with just one look. So what are these tawdry British TV shows with disabled characters? Titles please! I don't know aobut tawdry, but there is The Book Group available on hulu that has a paraplegic male character named Kenny... Takes place is Scotland. |
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Post by dolly on Oct 13, 2011 13:44:07 GMT -5
that peter mitchell dude is yummy. great photos, val! thank you.  i quite enjoyed him on that cast offs show. may need to watch that again!!! i wish i could remember where i found it available to watch online last time... that link doesn't work for me where i am. yes, it's good to have real disabled actors in these roles. for so many reasons, not just devvy ones!  |
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Post by mariposa on Oct 15, 2011 5:52:27 GMT -5
Ruth: Book Group was a good series. The wheeler bloke isn't one in real life, but he does have a brief relationship with a female wheelchair user, who has appeared in a fair few British programmes. Actually, I think she got through to the finals of the X Factor. The thing is, she wasn't that good, so there was lots of, "oh, she's only got as far because she's in a wheelchair', which was probably true actually.
I think we have a long way to go before we're inundated with excellent disabled actors, because using them is only a very recent phenomenon. We're probably in a transition period, where a few people have the confidence and the right connections to break through in the first place, but aren't necessarily dripping with acting talent. Plus, in the first place, your talent pool is always going to be limited.
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Post by ruthmadison on Oct 15, 2011 9:32:14 GMT -5
She did make it to the finals of the X Factor, she's more of a singer than an actor. I'm a facebook fan of hers!
I'm having an interview with Teal Sherer, an actress who uses a wheelchair, on Monday. I think she's quite good and I hope that she'll be the one to break through the barriers.
Check her out in the free Web tv series, the guild. She plays a bad girl, Venom. (Also has Wil Wheaton from Star Trek)
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Post by mariposa on Oct 15, 2011 11:29:16 GMT -5
Whoops! I didn't mean to insult a friend of yours...
She had a good voice, but I did feel that they looked at her as providing something a little different that year, rather than, 'this is the best of the best and she absolutely has to go through'.
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Post by ruthmadison on Oct 16, 2011 13:51:40 GMT -5
No, I understand. I can see the point now that you mention it.
The guy who played Kenny, though not disabled, did a pretty great job with it. He was believable. The first episode was a little weird, but after that his character hit a good stride.
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Post by Pisti on Oct 17, 2011 16:51:14 GMT -5
Actors like Herbert Marshall do not grow in every bush. He was a leg amputee British actor (lost his leg in WW1), who worked on stage about 20 years, then switched to the motion picture, and acted in about 100 movies and TV shows. If I'm not mistaken, he never played an amputee character. ( www.imdb.com/name/nm0003339/) |
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