Shailene Woodley : A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

It's a rarity these days to see an actor who always gives emotionally intricate, fully realized, and authentic from-head-to-toe performances. She's a living testimony that actors do not need to put a polished accent or a purely transformative body of work to be considered as a good one--though it's a given that these factors are a barometer for the level of your skill and versatility--but sometimes, perhaps even in a constant manner, all you need to do is to give a performance that would show all the layers and complexities of your character, with the precise measure and amount of emotions as well as an astounding display of naturalism.

That's what I saw with Shailene Woodley, ever since her breakthrough with The Descendants, in which she has blown me away with a brilliant and substantial turn as Alex King, who's not only a vigorous scene-stealer--that line when she said "You're sorry that you *beep* her, sorry that you *beep* her over my dad?!" was the best line of the entire movie--but also stands and shines as the most essential part of the film (along with Clooney). Since then, she continued on offering rich performances, with films like "The Spectacular Now" in which she vividly reminded me of Diane Keaton's lovely work in "Annie Hall"--they're both heartwarmin 2000 g and heartbreaking at the same time, "White Bird in a Blizzard" in which she fluctuated from convincingly brazen and numb, to vulnerable and poignant, and her best work to date "The Fault in our Stars" in which she incarnated a compelling literary character, depicted her acerbic wit, amusing realism, tender smile, physical pain, and the absolute remorse of dealing with loss--all in all delivered in a refined, subtle, and unerringly honest manner that gave a completeness to her bravura portrayal. It takes such skill and passion to show a spectrum of emotions, even with one simple glance or a 1-second "Okay".

Shai's definitely an outstanding actress, but of course she still needs to widen and explore her capabilities and most importantly her versatility. But even in a few films, you can see how a giant beast she is in acting.


Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I agree with all stated. Moreover, this was so beautifully written. Are you a 'writer'? Your sentences flow so clearly. I would consider looking into it... even if just on the side :)

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Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Well said! I couldn't agree more.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Shai is the best!

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I think she's very talented. I don't understand why people think she is bad.

GoonGirl for Hire

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

not as long as Jennifer Lawrence is in "her generation".

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I think Shailene and Jennifer Lawrence are terrific actresses, and both of them are the best of their generation.

Shailene's performance in Fault In Our Stars could have been nominated for an Oscar. I wonder where she placed in nominations, 6th, or 7th, I would bet. It was that good.

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Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

But I still love American Hustle!

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Not to wish her any ill will but I really don't get all the hype around Jennifer Lawrence. I think she's a competent actress but not any better than lots of her contemporaries. And after about three minutes and 24 seconds her schtick starts wearing a little thin.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I said "among the best" not "the best".
Anyways personally I prefer Shailene than Jennifer, though both are magnetic . Jennifer Lawrence delivered promise in "Winter's Bone", she gives a performance of extensive emotional extremes, ladened with a staggering depth that is unlike any actor at her demographic has given. Likewise with her sonorous works in "The Hunger Games" and "Like Crazy". I always thought she would further ameliorate and vitalize her skills as an actress, but ever since "Silver Linings Playbook"?an insubstantially acted role that ridiculously handed her an Oscar trophy?her performances unfortunately went downhill. Nowadays, she seems to be more concerned on invigorating mannerisms, polishing an accent, and putting off a show, in order for her to go into the podium, ala Meryl "Oscar Queen" Streep. The creative audacity that was once refluent in her early days, has traversed to pedantic "LOOK AT ME THIS IS F**CKING OSCAR BAIT, HAHAHA *beep* YOU (and yes the latter part was an infamous line in SLP)". I bet her next five roles would be easily extrapolated, but I hope not cause she's a wasted potential.

Shailene Woodley on the other hand, is brimming of surprises. One day she would be in an action blockbuster, then the next she's in a ingeniously eclectic indie, and after few weeks of hugging trees and eating bugs, she would return to the big screen in an Oscar-bait biopic. She allows innovative freedom, and most significantly passion be the control of her own desire to act. Woodley is not this conventional actress, who acts not only for the sake of acting, but also on a larger context that tackles the lessons being emphasized by the film her role grounds on. She has definitely proven herself ever since "The Descendants", her turns has consistently been monumental in sincerity, and profound in characterization, equipped with self-epiphany that moulds her autonomy as a human.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Agreed. I don't think there's a law that you have to like one and disparage the other. They're not necessarily in competition.

The Meryl Streep comparison for Jennifer Lawrence is apt. I can't deny Streep's talent, but she is also a boring actress who is in a lot of dull "Oscar bait" roles. And the poi 238 nt of her appearance always seems to be to show off her own acting regardless of whether it benefits the movie. Compare her to Julianne Moore who won the Oscar this year for "Still Alice", but she ALSO appeared in David Cronenberg's "Map of the Stars" where she played a thoroughly unlikeable character who has a nude three-way sex scene. There are A LOT of roles like that Meryl Streep just can't (or won't)do, so thank God every actress isn't Meryl Streep. Shailene Woodley isn't necessarily the Julianne Moore to Jennifer Lawrence's Meryl Streep, but the point is s 16d0 he doesn't HAVE TO try to be Jennifer Lawrence. One Jennifer Lawrence is sufficient.

Also, people on the IMDB might consider mastering the English language, like the meaning of the word "among", and stop making up stupid words like "libtard", which ironically doesn't make the person saying it sound very intelligent themselves.

"Let be be finale of seem/ The only emperor is the Emperor of Ice Cream"

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation


I don't think there's a law that you have to like one and disparage the other. They're not necessarily in competition.


Isn't that just what you did with Streep?

GoonGirl for Hire

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Did you see Sophie's Choice? That performance is what put Meryl Streep over the top.


"Don't get chumpatized!" - The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007)

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Agreed 100%!!!!! Shailene is great!!!! Everyone love her here in Brazil!!!!

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Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I do respect your opinion, but I don't agree with them. I have elaborated my thoughts about Jennifer Lawrence's skill for 2 times already in this board, so just search for it. Emma Stone, while charming and expressive, isn't exactly an earth-shaking matter in cinema. She has brought a witty performance in "Easy A", and a scene-stealing yet highly overrated (imo) work in "Birdman". She sure knows how to act, but not in the same level of Adams or Chastain. Kristen Stewart has grown out of her pajamas, and she's vastly climbing to become a serious actress?with stellar turns in "X-ray", "Still Alice", and "Sils Maria"?but she has this bigoted style of deadpan facial expressions that won't help her become versatile at all.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

It just seems that out of these 4 Kristen Stewart and Jennifer Lawrence have better agents, and therefore more interesting projects, interesting roles, than Emma and Shailene lately.

Emma had a streak of successful roles a few years ago, but not lately, and the same goes for Shailene. She didn't have any outstanding projects after Descendants and Spectacular, but she was outstanding even in sub-par projects that followed. Poor Emma had to star in two of Allen's latest lesser movies, and then she was amazing even as the latest incarnation of Crowe's usual manic-pixie-blah-blah-blah, kind of even gave some sense to the mostly messy film. I hope she'll have a chance to work with Inarritu again: she filmed her part in a couple of weeks for Birdman and it's still some of the best acting from her. Imagine what would happen if Shailene got role in a movie by PTA or Innaritu, she'd get all the oscars there are lol.

The competition is too big for the female actresses these days in Hollywood, but I very often wo 7ec nder why bland (but still good and decent) actresses like Alicia Vikander and Mia Wasikowska get so many interesting roles instead of Shailene. The only reason I can find is really bad agent and/or professional counsel. Or perhaps she really is not sure if she wants to continue acting anymore. It would be a shame to loose such a great talent to herbs and trees lol.

Mindy: “I will never stop sending nudies. That is my First Amendment right."

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Meh.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

At first I thought watching Ms Wooden the "actress" is like watching paint dry... but it's an insult to the paint.

Ps. Tangentially, Jennifer Lawrence has maturity and flexibility.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I'm curious to what you say as "flexibility" and "maturity" in Jennifer Lawrence. Flexibility? So she is willing to change her veneer and splanchnic guts in every role she stars in? Yeah right, the way how the bravehearted "I would do everything for my family" Ree differs from the Katniss' clenched jaws every miniscule of a second; trying to hide the absolute distress in every tribulation. Oh I almost forgot, how about the madly-in-love Tiffany, with boisterous vocal cords juxtaposed with over-the-top mannerisms--screeching eyes that suggest a dismounted euphoria--differ from the blonde counterpart Rosalyn? And now, after watching the trailer of Russell's Joy, I saw another shade of Jennifer Lawrence, a beastly hybrid of stiff stick-to-itiveness (Ree) and a slightly distilled mental disposition as she went wealthy (Rosalyn). You can behold some of cinema's greatest flexibility within her, an unrivaled talent, a star! While her maturity, so recurring in her filmography, is simply resplendent; which, by the way, is fully juiced-out from Hollywood's ageism. Wait... maturity =/= older roles, but still, she has confounding maturity. WOW!

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Read what one of the greatest directors had to say about Jlaw. http://www.vulture.com/2015/08/quentin-tarantino-lane-brown-in-conversation.html#

Have a nice day !

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I believe Shailene has that rare combination of subtle and passionate acting talent, and personal charisma that makes for greater movie stars. Her eccentricity will most probably dial down while class will remain and show more and more with age. I just hope she will continue to act and choose better projects. She has potential of those true acting chameleons like Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman even.

Mindy: “I will never stop sending nudies. That is my First Amendment right."

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Maybe, just maybe she is not a "bad" actress but who could tell; the director of this dog of a series is certainly not good enough for foreign cinema. Welcome ---- to America! Home of the movie "industry."

It just irks me to no end when an obviously-high budget movie is so poorly made. I do analyze movies that are not up to par far more critically than ones that entertain.
So to make this perfuncatory and fair bullet points!
-Every character is a distopian soap opera is dressed in GAP's new line of clothes for hardcore bikers of dubious sexuality. Apparently the only thing in the future that cant be remade better than now is fabric dye.
-Am i the only one tired of 24 year old actresses(and actors (to a lesser degree)) playing 17 year old virgins? In the United States we live by a very repressed, socially enforced, quasi-Protestant m 5b4 orality. Which means 100s may die horrible movie deaths by guns and hand to hand combat and maintain a pg13 rating. On the other side of the "sex and violence coin" if one exposes a nipple of a full grown woman or allow the (female)character to express too much overt or natural normal sexuality your sciFi drama ill gain a R rating or limited release.
-American movie cliche #(number not hash-tag)2. We love guns! The U.S. is the leading manufacturer of the endless-round assault-rifle clip. Developed in S.Cal in the early part of the last century American guns can hold more rounds than the laws of physics allow! But obviously that was a necessary advancement as most young Americans can outrun 6 to 10 faceless henchmen firing fully automatic weapons at them.
-in the future when times get tuff no one ever runs out of haircare products.
-Another poor faded echo of the Matrix. Flame on mother sucker! Just remember this before the Matrix changed the world of science-fiction movies for a generation NO ONE had seen something like that. And like all quality media it had the effect of moving the industry, the arts and human social thinking forward. This dim echo of a shadow of a movie will be forgotten almost entirely by the time you finished reading this abbreviated post.
-Middle of the movie. Kate's character's rant on irony. Total miss. Even by all the expanded modern definitions of irony. If you question that go ask A 16d0 lanis M. and keep trying to use the urban dictionary as a reference.

All right enough said. Not a horrible movie just a horrible presentation of...
Note to the director and director of photography. This movie could have been shot better if the both of you where not complete tools of the industry. Contact me personally for notes on how every scene could have been shot better with no budget increase.
u make me sad. :(

Bold statement, final; Science Fiction now has one of the most powerful potentials to influence the future human landscape. Second to philosophy and ABOVE religion. HollyWont is the naked emperor. we should be the child.


with love,
MgM

Post Script:
Apologies for grammar.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I agree. I absolutely adore her. This was beautifully written. :)

Caring doesn't sometimes lead to misery. It always does.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

I agree. She's really talented. Future Oscar winner, you'll see.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

You stupid monkeys don't know what acting is. She sucked so bad in divergent. She was just so *beep* boring to watch. The only other thing I've seen her in is fault in our stars. She was half decent in that and that probably show's there's more to her but I can't get over how annoying she is in divergent series.

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Ah ha!!! So she has decliend to be part of the divergent *beep* up any longer: http://www.vulture.com/2016/09/shailene-woodley-likely-wont-do-divergent-on-tv.html Good for her, good move and looking forward to the next move she'll be in!

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Among the best of her generation?

Ok, discounting Jennifer Lawrence and Brie Larson, is she on a level with Saoirse Ronan?
No, not even close, Ronan is a critically acclaimed actress the other is a YA star.

So much hyperbole so little time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekxPFTZm1Y

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Just being cold in my objectivity.

This year's potential Best Actress Oscar winner had good things to say about SW. As I've said before she has the charisma. If she can get herself cast in one of said actress's films, The Division for example, it will change her prospects for the drastically better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v85YqSFzqSI

Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Your comment made me laugh, but I have to agree. So many actors/actress 5b4 es nowadays are terrible. S Woodley, J Lawrence, K Stewart, C. Moretz, etc. Just lots and lots and lots of the same cheese-faced mediocrity; I don't know how people can tell the difference between what little style they seem to have. It's a shame that lesser known, but more diverse actresses never, ever get the breadth of opportunities those I listed do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Be the change you want to see - http://bit.ly/1MaKQ0n

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Re: A terrific actress, probably among the best of this generation

Said no one ever.
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