Helen Mirren Is A Genuis

[Madeline]

I watched her in "The Queen" tonite...last night. Blew me away. She took a very unsympathetic character (to me) at her most unsympathetic moment and rendered her three dimensional, even appealing.

I dunno what you Brits feed your actors, but they are some of them just fabulous.

 

[Colin]

Like so many of our truly great actors, Helen Mirren learned her trade through the Royal Shakespeare Company and the West End stage. She won many awards for her role as Queen Elizabeth including, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award.

 

[Madeline]

I have been her fan for some time...it's the only reason I even watched "The Queen". Her "Prime Suspect" series is wonderful. She's so sexy in that, and so not-sexy in "The Queen". I don't understand how anyone can watch a performance of hers and still think Merle Streep can act.

 

[Colin]

I have been her fan for some time...it's the only reason I even watched "The Queen". Her "Prime Suspect" series is wonderful. She's so sexy in that, and so not-sexy in "The Queen". I don't understand how anyone can watch a performance of hers and still think Merle Streep can act.

Oh. So you got 'Prime Suspect' over there! She won an Emmy Television award as Best Actress for her performance as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect: The Final Act. She now has four Emmy awards. There were several series Of Prime Suspect. Did you see them all?

 

[Blagger]

I dunno what you Brits feed your actors, but they are some of them just fabulous.

Madeline, if you're a fan of British actors, I suggest you treat yourself this Christmas and buy yourself HBO's Rome. I'm admittedly quite biased because I'm fascinated by ancient history, but it is by far one of my favourite series. But in all honesty, I'm a fan of anything by HBO.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TzvNnk2p3Y"]Trailer.[/ame]

 

[chanel]

She was in the original "Excalibur" which I showed to my classes. I also showed them a recent picture of her. She now has some very unlikely teenage fans.

 

[Gem]

I agree completely with your assessment that Helen Mirren is fabulous AND that she made Queen Elizabeth a fascinating character. I often now find myself offering counter-arguments when people in my family (I have an aunt and some cousins who were just IN LOVE with Diana) discuss how horrible the Royals were to her.

If you go back and watch (you can YouTube it) the speech the Queen gave regarding Diana and then Helen Mirren's take on it you can see how brilliant she is. It wasn't a mimicing, but rather Mirren truly becoming the Queen.

I don't think many of our young actresses today have that....gravitas?...I hope some develop it in time.

P.S. She was smashing in REDS.

 

[California Girl]

She's a good actress. A genuis? Probably not.... that's Mad-o-lyin's usual exaggeration.

 

[Madeline]

Colin....hopefully there are episodes of "Prime Suspect" I have not seen. PBS was running them as part of the "Masterpiece Mystery" series here, and they are always scanty.

Swagger.....Yippie! That looks fabulous! I had not heard a peep about it, so thankies muchly. BTW, if you like ancient history, check out "Rome: Building An Empire" which the History Channel did up. Their best series by far, IMO.

Gem....thankies for the recommendation. I have not seen "Red" (at first I thought you said "Reds" and posted a hate on Warren Beaty, LOL).

chanel....good on you! Dunno why we insist the only sexual women among us are under 25....what horseshit. Mirren's sexuality in that series is just so letter-perfect; commitment-phobic and sizzling. It's her obvious intelligence that makes it work.

 

[Sunni Man]

I don't understand how anyone can watch a performance of hers and still think Merle Streep can act.

What's wrong with Merle Streep as an actress??

 

[Madeline]

I don't understand how anyone can watch a performance of hers and still think Merle Streep can act.

What's wrong with Merle Streep as an actress??

She's like nails on a blackboard to me, Sunni Man. Same performance, over and over.....crappy accent and that insipid "tears in eyes but only one slowly falling" routine. IMO, my cat has more range.

Love the new avie, BTW. That is hilarious!

 

[Sunni Man]

The British seem to disagree with you Madeline.

Meryl Streep won the Best Female Performance for "Mamma Mia" at the UK National Movie Awards 2008 in London.

 

[Madeline]

The British seem to disagree with you Madeline.

Meryl Streep won the Best Female Performance for "Mamma Mia" at the UK National Movie Awards 2008 in London.

Yes, I know Sunni Man. Most disagree with me. Meh, no matter.....

 

[bodecea]

She was in the original "Excalibur" which I showed to my classes. I also showed them a recent picture of her. She now has some very unlikely teenage fans.

You showed Excalibur to your class?

 

[editec]

I watched her in "The Queen" tonite...last night. Blew me away. She took a very unsympathetic character (to me) at her most unsympathetic moment and rendered her three dimensional, even appealing.

I dunno what you Brits feed your actors, but they are some of them just fabulous.

Yes, she is.

Brits spawn a lot of good actors because of the BBC.

Since the BBC hires actors at low wages (to create all that content) a lot of journeymen actors get to work on their craft without having to wait table and pray to be discovered.

And the reason so many damned fine actors end up in Hollywood is because they are good at their craft and now want to cash in on it.

Can't blame 'em for that, and it certainly means that we Americans get to enjoy some damned fine thespianism.

 

[Sunni Man]

Men used to be called actors.

And women were referred to as an actress.

Now I hear women call themselves actors.

What's up with that?

Just more PC nonsense??

 

[Sallow]

She is a wonderful actress and a great lady. Really beautiful too.

 

[Madeline]

Men used to be called actors.

And women were referred to as an actress.

Now I hear women call themselves actors.

What's up with that?

Just more PC nonsense??

Yes.

So sayeth the message board posteress.

 

[code1211]

I, too, am a Mirren fan. She's got range and is very sexy. She's one of a few of the movie stars around who make me watch the work they've done. If she's in the piece, her performance will be worth watching and the whole production is probably a good one.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I have been her fan for some time...it's the only reason I even watched "The Queen". Her "Prime Suspect" series is wonderful. She's so sexy in that, and so not-sexy in "The Queen". I don't understand how anyone can watch a performance of hers and still think Merle Streep can act.

Oh. So you got 'Prime Suspect' over there! She won an Emmy Television award as Best Actress for her performance as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect: The Final Act. She now has four Emmy awards. There were several series Of Prime Suspect. Did you see them all?

All or most of the Prime Suspects ran here on PBS over the years. BBCAmerica used to run quite a few good British crime dramas, mysteries, etc., until it turned to shit. Now it's 24 hours of Top Gear, Dr. Who, and the foul mouth kitchen guy - in other words, dumbed down for Americans.