Tag: Tom Cruise

Analyzing Actors’ Accents in Films

movie dialect

One of the more challenging aspects of acting is when an actor must speak in a dialect or with an accent that is not native to the actor. Sometimes the actor does a great job, and sometimes they don’t.

In this video from Wired, dialect coach Erik Singer analyzes 32 different accents from actors such as Brad Pitt, Kate Winslet, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage, Heath Ledger, and many more.

Singer is generally generous in his criticisms, noting how difficult it is to get the correct accents on everything. He points out several times where actors get some things right and some things wrong. And he has strong praise for others.

Check out Erik Singer giving us a nice lesson in accents in Movie Accent Expert Breaks Down 32 Actors’ Accents.

What is your favorite movie accent? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (short review)

    stanley kubrick a life in pictures If you are a fan of director Stanley Kubrick, check out the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001). Although the film does not feature interviews with the notoriously reclusive Kubrick, the late director’s voice comes through clips of his movies and through many people who knew and worked with Kubrick.

    I recently re-watched one of Kubrick’s early films, Paths of Glory (1957), the outstanding WWI film starring Kirk Douglas. Seeing it for the second time, I noticed many of the Kubrick touches in the camera angles and story themes and fell even deeper in love with the great film. I have always been a fan of Kubrick’s films, but watching Paths of Glory made me want to know more about the director, so I rented A Life in Pictures on Netflix.

    At 2 hours and 22 minutes, director Jan Harlan’s A Life in Pictures is not a lightweight overview of Kubrick’s career, but covers all of his movies with comments from many who worked with the director such as Jack Nicholson, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Steven Spielberg, and Tom Cruise, who narrates the film. Martin Scorsese, a director who is knowledgeable about film history, provides additional insight, as does Kubrick’s widow (who had a small but important role in Paths of Glory).

    The documentary covers films such as The Killing (1956), Spartacus (1960), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987), and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). I particularly enjoyed the insight and behind-the-scenes stories about the underrated and misunderstood Eyes Wide Shut. While A Life in Pictures may not change your views of the films or tell you exactly who Stanley Kubrick was, the documentary helps peel back a few layers to give you a greater appreciation of Kubrick’s works.

    Conclusion? Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures is an entertaining documentary about one of the great American directors that is worth your time if you have any interest in film history or in Kubrick’s films.

    What is your favorite Stanley Kubrick film? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Werewolves of London

    Werewolf of LondonHappy Halloween! Warren Zevon was late in his career before I became a fan of his music. So my memories of him are mostly of him toward the end of his life. So I especially love seeing him rock out in this performance of the one of the great Halloween songs, “Werewolves of London.”

    Zevon once referred to “Werewolves of London” as “a dumb song for smart people.”  But, of course, it is quite brilliant.   Zevon wrote the song with LeRoy Marinell and Waddy Wachtel, but they had some inspiration from Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers.  Everly suggested the song title to Zevon after watching the 1935 film Werewolf of London, directed by  Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull, on late-night television.

    Zevon, Marinell, and Wachtel began making up the lyrics for fun, adding in some howling.  Zevon’s wife at the time, Crystal Zevon, wrote down the lyrics.   The next day in the studio, Jackson Browne heard the new song, and he began performing it live years before Zevon got around to releasing it on an album in 1978.

    Upon it’s eventual release, “Werewolves of London” became a Top 40 hit for Zevon.  But according to George Plasketes, the author of a biography about the artist, Zevon initially felt insulted that the record label had selected that song for a single release over other songs Zevon preferred on the Excitable Boy (1978) album.  The label’s choice proved correct, in the sense that “Werewolves of London” became a beloved classic.

    The song even inspired the name for a baseball team in London, Ontario.  And there is that wonderful opening line, “I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand.”  This live performance by Zevon is from Oct 1, 1982 at the Capitol Theatre in Passiac, New Jersey.   Check it out.

    But I still cannot get this Tom Cruise image out of my head anytime I hear the song.

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