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by chmul_cr0n
Sat Dec 08, 2018 2:52 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: How do you distinguish between “bad acting” and “good acting”?
Replies: 8
Views: 7520

Re: How do you distinguish between “bad acting” and “good acting”?

To me it's about whether or not my intuition/cognitive empathy tells me they're sincere about it.
There are some performances that are absolutely unconvincing in a technical sense(as in it's obvious you're watching an actor act, because you can see them doing moves), but still convincing in a sense that the actor is doing it sincerely and actually believes it. That there's some actual "being the character" behind all the moves and all the overacting. They don't have the technical skills, but the attitude is there. In their head, they're doing. They're in the moment, in the scene, they're feeling what they think the character would feel.
For me Tanya Roberts in "Sheena" is a very good example. It's totally cheesy and broad and tacky, but for whatever reason I'm buying that she means it. And I know must people couldn't agree with or relate to that sentiment. You could call it a "good bad performance". :D

A lot of people have problems with the typical pre-Brando type of acting, which also included some standard movies I associate with daily soaps and such. There's that scene in Ben-Hur, where Charlton Heston is hiding behind that big rock, listening to his mother and his sister, and he's doing this silly pose, biting on his fist (which is always a hilarious move), but I can still see the pain in him, which he carries through that whole performance and that scene. To me, silly moves and sincerity aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Some people can sincerely emote through dance and make me feel something and empathize. Sofia Boutella for example really impressed me in StreetDance 2 or whatever movie that was.

There are, on the other hand, revered actors that don't do anything for me, because all I can see is an actor showcasing their chops. And its fun, 'cause they have a lot of 'em. But most performances of Di Caprio or Christian Bale feel like that to me. Whereas I can buy much more easily even into let's say Arnold Schwarzenegger in Last Action Hero or even Total Recall (it's almost post-dramatic how he blurs the line between him and his character by looking confused and in over his head half the time :D). 'cause to me, in that situation I see a weird Austrian dude managing to make himself feel like he's a gun-slinging movie hero coming to terms with being in an alternate reality. Or a guy who'se life is turned upside down and he doesn't know what's happening and he has to go to Mars. Now, that might not be true for every scene. But it has to not look controlled to me to be effective. Either that or a sincere effort beyond showing off chops.

It probably comes down to whether or not the person seems trustworthy on-screen. And not so much whether or not they screw up a line or look into the camera.


Because, when it comes to all the other stuff, it's usually really hard to differentiate what is what. What you're seeing is an edit consisting of many different bits of many different performances cur together to create the illusion of one. The voice has been tampered with, pauses have been created or changed. Looks or glances can seem out of place, when you cut them into the wrong moment...what you see is seldom the performance of an actor at a certain amount of time, but that director and editor made ouf it and out of all the other things that go into making a movie. And when something feels off in a moment of dialogue, most people refer to it as "bad acting". I've seen a couple of movies, where are was really taken aback as to how about some of my favorite actors were acting in it. Sometimes I know why, sometimes it's a mystery.
To me very little things are better than close-ups of Denzel Washington's face in Jonathan Demme movies. I don't know why, but it does something for me. Profoundly. That scene in Philadelphia where he just watches Tom Hanks' character sing an aria. He's not doing anything. Just looking at him. Godlike.
Whereas when I watch a movie where Ryan Gosling is staring into space, all I can see is "D'UUUUUUUUUUUUH" or something. In Drive for example. There is a scene, in which he an Carey Mulligan look at each other. I can read so much into her face. Or in Oscar Isaac's at the dinner table. Not with him. To me he has the charisma of a loaf of bread. At least whenever he's trying to be cool and stoic.
The human subconscious has a lot of tells for when someone is being insincere, and the way our face moves and how we perceive facial expressions is very delicate and complex. Sometimes people don't trust others because of the ways their eyebrows look or their mouths are shaped. Without noticing it.
Same with being funny. Some people are just funny to you. Some aren't. Danny McBride for example. I've never not disliked him in anything I've seen him in. And I can't tell you why. There's plenty of other people with equally dry delivery. A similar sense of humor. The same demeanor. But to me he's just a wannabe douche, who can't act. I'm pretty sure it's about whether or not your subconscious radar goes "careful!" or not.


That's my main theory, at least. :)
My second one is a little shorter and is about script interpretation. It's what makes Anthony Hopkins so great.
If you understand the line and what the character means, you can say it with an attitude that makes the line believable. Instead of just repeating a sentence from memory and underlining it with clichés and chops. Maybe that's why even Arnie can do more for me than Christian Bale. Because he says the line like he would. And not like he thinks an actor should.


But in the end, the Matrix can't tell you who you are. :>
Noone can tell you what a good performance is. Because you have to see it and like it for you to consider it good. And sometimes most people are gonna agree with you and sometimes they won't.