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ray v. every other biopic

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ray v. every other biopic

Old 04-18-05, 09:07 AM
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ray v. every other biopic

why did jamie foxx win for his performance in ray. it's not like he was acting. just mimicing, right?

i thought the argument against jim carrey winning in man on the moon was he wasn't doing any acting.

and i'm sure there's many other biopics im not remembering.
Old 04-18-05, 12:12 PM
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Everything you asked is a matter of opinion. I'm sure there were people who thought he was just mimicking the original Ray, but apparently there were plenty who thought there was some actual acting in there too.

As for Jim Carrey, Andy Kaufman was quite an eccentric guy, and whe he was alive he garnered as much hate as praise, if not more. I think that, coupled with Jim Carrey's record with the Academy, probably killed any chance he had to win.

There are many other biopics that you aren't remembering. What question did you have about them?
Old 04-18-05, 01:08 PM
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Jim Carrey did win for his performance in Man on the Moon. He got a Golden Globe as well as several critic's award. If you mean he didn't win an Oscar, well no, but other people have won for starring in biopics. Ben Kingsley won one for Gandhi.
Old 04-18-05, 01:10 PM
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I don't remember people criticizing Ed Harris for looking too much like Jackson Pollock...
Old 04-18-05, 01:22 PM
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Foxx did a good job in a well-received film that was loved by the masses. I enjoyed the film, and thought his performace was dead on. Using an example like "Man on the Moon" is a small stretch since it had nowhere NEAR the cultural impact of "Ray". Any store you go into these days (I'm talking even grocery stores here) have Ray Charles stands with books, cds, magazines, etc.) - I don't remember a run on Kaufman materials after "Moon".

Cultural impact doesn't make an Oscar though - as a previous poster stated, some people have won for biopic roles - Foxx just happened to nail the part and ride the wave to enormous success.
Old 04-18-05, 01:52 PM
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i think part of what bugs me is the guy just died. should i just watch the obits and make a movie out of whoever just died that was generally popular? lord knows a good majority of celebs have their own special demons.
Old 04-18-05, 01:56 PM
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Are you suggesting Jamie Foxx had Ray Charles killed to better his Oscar chances?
Old 04-18-05, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by pdinosaur
i think part of what bugs me is the guy just died. should i just watch the obits and make a movie out of whoever just died that was generally popular? lord knows a good majority of celebs have their own special demons.
They finished filming this movie about a year before Ray Charles died.
Old 04-18-05, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by pdinosaur
why did jamie foxx win for his performance in ray. it's not like he was acting. just mimicing, right?

i thought the argument against jim carrey winning in man on the moon was he wasn't doing any acting.

and i'm sure there's many other biopics im not remembering.
Are you saying that if a biopic is about a contemporary (or near contemporary) of the actor, the actor is just mimicing the subject?

Was Anthony Hopkins just mimicing Nixon? Was Russell Crowe just mimicing John Nash and Jeffery Wigand? Julia Roberts doing Erin Brockovich? DiNiro just imitating Jake LaMotta?

Is it because that he's a standup comic that you think that he is not an actor? I'm just curious what your point is?
Old 04-18-05, 03:02 PM
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I think I'd add something else as to why Foxx would win, but Carrey did not. First off, each year is different, so it's not really as simple as saying this or that was better, they should've won. This is, after all, subjective voting.

As for those performances, Ray offered a similar feel in terms of an actor embodying a very known, very unique personality. But, imo, the movie Ray gave Foxx much more opportunity to really create a character. He took Ray Charles, and went beyond impersonation and really created a living, breathing characer I cared for. As for Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman, he nailed the character, looked and acted just like him. But there just wasn't much there...the film felt more like a greatest hits of Andy Kaufman mixed with some drama, but I can't say I know the guy any better. I never felt for him, never got to really know him as a character. The enigmatic personality and unknown qualities of Andy Kaufman limits this in many ways, but on a basic dramatic level there was just a fuller character that Jamie Foxx played, at least in terms of mining the emotional depths of a persona.

Of course, these are all opinions, but I am of the belief that Foxx went far, far beyond impersonation.

As for the argument why Carrey did not win or get nominated for an Oscar, I think the reasoning was more in line with the people saw 5 other performances they liked better, rather then everyone thought it was impresonation. These nominations and wins aren't made in vacuums, competion means a lot.
Old 04-18-05, 03:05 PM
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I found Ray to be dreadfully boring and had unbearable pacing. It's not until the last 30 minutes that anything truly exciting happens.
Old 04-18-05, 04:16 PM
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Why the hell didn't Jason Scott Lee win for Dragon?










Old 04-18-05, 04:39 PM
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I thought Will Smith was just mimicing in Ali,but Denzel Washington actually became Malcolm X.

Last edited by Premise; 04-19-05 at 01:44 AM.
Old 04-18-05, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by pdinosaur
why did jamie foxx win for his performance in ray. it's not like he was acting. just mimicing, right?
Pretentous criticisms. I remember reading something where it said 'Carey was just doing an impersonation of Kaufman.' And I was like "WHAT THE HELL?"

Also, good acting is only 40% the nomination. The 60% goes to how the character is written. This is why Carey and Will Smith were 'just impersonating', while Denzel was 'acting'.

On Conan O'Brien, Anthony Hopkins said something like 'I just know the lines, show up, and pretend'. Remember when that woman was praised for Almost Famous? She's an alright actress, but Cameron Crowe is the reason why she got the attention.
Old 04-18-05, 09:47 PM
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George C Scott did an awesome job as Patton, then refused his oscar IIRC. Something about a "monkey show" or something like that.
Old 04-18-05, 11:55 PM
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Denzel didn't "act" Malcolm, he "WAS" Malcolm. Carey "WAS" Kaufman, Foxx "WAS" Ray. DeNiro "WAS" absofreakinlutely Jake La Motta! Will Smith was not even close to Ali. He was entertaining but you never lost sight of the fact that Smith was "trying" to be believable. The others were so good that you almost forgot you were watching an actor playing a part. At least I did.
Old 04-19-05, 12:31 AM
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I think Denzel totally nailed Malcolm X that and the movie was so much better than both Ray and Ali.

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