Sunday, October 18, 2009

News Of Amelia

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As you might know, I'm a believer in Hilary Swank. I think she's a very talented actress who happens to make some really crappy decisions every once in a while. Okay, often. But when she's on, she is on.
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So I've had pretty high hopes for Mira Nair's upcoming Amelia Earhart biopic, which is out this Friday. It's been kept tightly under wraps by Fox Searchlight so far, but it seems like they're finally letting a few people get a look at the film, and word is mixed.
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The Hollywood Reporter had the following to say about Swank's performance:
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"Freckle-faced, prairie-voiced and fiercely independent, Hilary Swank's depiction of aviator Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair's biographical film "Amelia" is of a high order. It ranks with recent real-life portrayals of Ray Charles by Jamie Foxx and Truman Capote by Philip Seymour Hoffman and could be similarly awards-bound."
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But then there's this from Variety:

"But it's Swank who must shoulder the heaviest thesping burden, and her Amelia remains earthbound. An actress who does her best work in plain-spoken, contempo working-class roles, Swank is a decent physical match for her subject, and her slightly androgynous appearance here underscores Earhart's standing as a woman among men. But the character's passion hasn't been sufficiently dramatized (this Amelia likes to fly planes because the script says so), and every effort to transform Swank -- the close-cropped blonde hair, the '30s costumes designed by Kasia Walicka Maimone, the actress' wobbly Kansas accent -- ends up feeling like one fussy affectation on top of another."

So I'm not really sure what to think. I guess I'm still planning to catch it this weekend, but I hope to hear more good things than bad in the next few days.

2 comments:

Univarn said...

I've always felt Swank is one of the great single character actors, but she often tries to do films like Amelia or more mainstream stuff and often fumbles. Maybe Amelia will be her coming out party as a ranged actor, but judging by these two looks it may end up being a 50/50 critic vote.

Anonymous said...

I have been very against this film for some time. It feels like the ultimate in Oscar bait. However, I am slowly losing my anger, and will try to go into the theater with an open mind.

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