Tag Archives: Multi-talented

Ben Barnes, his choice shows his real talent

Since September 2009, I have written several blogs about the young British actor, Ben Barnes. He has lots of interesting facts that made him intriguing. I admire not only his good looks, but also his personality and more on his acting talent. Though in the range of 2007 to 2010, he only had 8 movies, but from one movie to another, his roles were diverse and different from each other.

He played small but pivotal role as young Dunstan in Stardust, then he changed his character into Russian thug. But he also the naive and vulnerable young prince in Prince Caspian and charming drip mama’s boy type in Easy Virtue. At his utmost beauty, he took the role as timeless narcissist, Dorian Gray but again put down all the glorious moment and taking his route to play the insecure tortured father in Locked In. He returned as the self-assured king in Voyage of Dawn Treader, though it was his second time to played the same role as Caspian, but his character develops. His latest role was wannabe rockstar Neil McCormick in the movie called Killing Bono. From the behind the scene clips and few interviews, he showed that he totally giving himself into a rock star wannabe. As an actor, he proved that he’s preparing his path to become a formidable one.

But Ben Barnes is not someone you can see every where every time. He only appears for his projects and its promotions. Out of that circle, he’s invicible. His latest appearance was in Madrid, Spain early June, promoting his movie, Dorian Gray. Of course, he looks at his best. The new hair cut, the new fashion style made him tantalizing and the object of embarassing drools. But then, he vanished ^_^

Ben Barnes,the Prince

I always questioning his next projects. He’s so unpredictible, yet he never failed in shocking me as his fan. He said in one of his interview in Spain, “I have a couple of things, but I don’t know which to choose, I hope in the coming weeks to make a decision on either project”. It was last week and boy, he made his decision very quick and the news emerged as quick as the lightning. Ben Barnes will play Stephen Wraysford the lead role in stage version of Sebastian Faulk’s phenomenal best-seller, Birdsong. A heartbreaking dramas centred around World War I and powerful love story too.

He’s coming back to stage? well, that’s what I call shocking news. I was shocked, not understand his decision, but then I admire him more. Because the charming Brit once said, “Acting is my dream job. I am happy and grateful that I am not amongst those people who, after the end of their studies are not sure if they actually want to spend the rest of their lives in the profession they learned“. His decision to take a role back to West End stage showing his deep passion in acting.

But that’s not the only reason for me to write this blog. Taking a role on stage was totally different from taking a role in a movie. To be on stage, one must be well prepared. There will be no “re-take” or “cut” if one make mistake. Acting was real on stage. Real talent was needed. His decision made him more adorable. Made me proud of becoming his fans. By taking the role on stage, Ben Barnes shows that he has the real acting talent.

Ben Barnes,the Prince

Birdsong goes into rehearsal in early August and begins performances at the Comedy Theatre on September 18, with an official first night on September 28. As his freaking crazy fan, I wish I had a chance to see him on stage ^_^

I write so I can share what I see through my heart, my personal point of view and my own analysis.

related post: All about Ben Barnes

Source: benbarnesfan, Baz Bamigboye, Birdsong

How my heart see Robert Pattinson through “Remember Me”

I am not a movie freak. I am just a person who like watching movies that fascinate my soul. I like movies with great special effects. I like historical stories. I accept drama and romantic movies too. But on top of that I like movies that deliver strong moral lesson. If I found a movie fulfills the criteria, I can watch it again and again. Well, that’s me with my anomaly habit ^_^

I believe many of young girls and mature woman went to watch Remember Me, because they want to see the damn-hot dashing bad-boy look of Robert Pattinson as Tyler Hawkins. But that reason didn’t go for me. Almost half a year ago, I wrote a blog about the world of Robert Pattinson after Twilight. I was confident that he still can be a real good actor after Twilight, not just a temporary popular celebrity. On that reason, despite few comments from my friends, which actually able to stop me from watching the movie :p I gave myself a chance to watch Remember me. Of course this won’t be a professional movie review, because I am not the movie critics or reviewer. I only want to share my objective opinion about what my sincere heart see Robert Pattinson through Remember me.

Robert Pattinson

I have no complaint about the casts. Everybody have been chosen almost perfectly. Though I watched Pierce Brosnan all forever Remington Steele, but I found him not boring at all. As well as Chris Cooper, years of experience made Pierce and Chris able to portrayed their roles convincingly. Even Emily de Ravin whose gaining few critics on her accent can played her role as tortured-by-her-past young girl with over-protective father nicely. As for Rob, though his role as Tyler Hawkins is not enough to convinced me that he really can act, but I can say, he’s not acting Edward Cullen in Remember Me. Well, the truth is, he’s acting himself in Remember Me :D. It seemed like Tyler Hawkins was the actor and Robert Pattinson is the role he played. So, on this stage, in my opinion, he didn’t face the acting challenge.

I almost have no complaint about the story. Even few of the conversations were great, especially the one between Ally & Tyler on “I have my dessert first” It was hilarious. I can’t stop giggling on that scene, geezz, how creative the script writer’s mind to pull out interesting conversation on a dessert. And I found that Robert also has the opportunity to contribute his ideas to the script. It was great. It means that in the future he can sharpen his ability to script writing too. But I can not deny. I was a little disappointed. Not because they killed Tyler Hawkins at the end of the movie, but because I don’t see the point of doing that. (was it also the ending that Rob wanted?) What message they wanted to deliver? Remember me is not Saving Private Ryan type of movie. Why should the movie ended by letting a parents lost their two sons tragically? I still think, the movie could ended the other way.

There are many factors to make a movie worth-watching, worth-awarding and unforgettable. Good script, great actor who can deliver the role convincingly, good director who can make the whole movie fascinating, great special effects and of course massive publication. Remember Me got good actors, and of course a massive publication, but though I did have a prick of tears on my eyes, the story didn’t reach my soul and I didn’t feel the necessity to watch it again.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson, through his role as the brooding-vampire opened the huge door of opportunity to broaden his acting career. The opportunity to work with great directors. The opportunity to act side by side with senior and good actors, whom from them he can learn to become a better actor. And not to forget that he also has the acting ability, he just need more space to prove it. But on the other hand, he must be very wise about this. Because the phenomenon of one night catapulted stardom only came once in a lifetime. And he already on the highest level of fame that any actor could ever reached. At this stage, any movie with him in it is salable. But after his role of Edward Cullen ends, he will facing different group of fans. If he wants to stay in the business longer, he needs to pave his path carefully. He must avoid the generic Hollywood type of script that make him charming. Learn to make quality stories are a top priority for him as an actor. Making the movie worth-watching and not just following flavor of the month trends.

After Remember me, I will give myself another chance to watch Bel Ami and Water for Elephants, where Rob got another chance to act along side senior and proven actress like Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Reese Whiterspoon. The original story of Bel Ami and Water for Elephants were very good. If the scripts were written strongly and Rob can really pull out his ability in acting opposite the seniors, he can make the movie fascinating and worth-watching. If he succeed, I will confidently saying that he’s a good and award winning actor, not a temporary showcasing celebrity.

I write so I can share what I see through my heart, my personal point of view and my own analysis.

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A perfect choice for Dorian Gray

Dorian gray is a story of a handsome young man in Victorian high society London who is encouraged to pursue a hedonistic lifestyle by family friend, Lord Henry Wotton. Blinded by narcissism after he sees an exceptionally beautiful portrait of himself, Dorian sells his soul to the devil in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. He was described as handsome, finely curved lips. There was something in his face that made one trust him at once.

Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ was already filmed more than a dozen time. “Dorian Gray telling Wilde’s morality tale about eternal youth, ageless beauty, self-indulgent, pleasure seeking and the pitfall you might fall into if you pursued them so relentlessly”, said the British-blood actor, Ben Barnes. “And it’s a greatest story ever told and hasn’t been told in a very long time. It deserved to be told”.

To portray Dorian Gray into a film would require an actor who has indisputably handsome face but able to convince a journey from a naive young man who sells his soul in return for remaining as beautiful as his painted image, to a man who jaded by a lecherously pleasure – seeking without happiness and return to his society, looks as young as he left 25 years before, finally repents his terrible behavior and looking for redemption.

But Barnaby Thompson’s – the producer of Dorian Gray – interest in Ben was more than just on his looks. It happened by chance one day between scenes on Easy Virtue. He saw in a moment, Ben’s expression switched. His brown eyed charm imperceptibly turning to something blacker, something deadly. “It was the Dorian Gray journey in a single look. He has matinee idol looks, he’s utterly charming, but he can go from sweet charm to steel in just a flick of head”.

Dorian Gray

Olivia Cole wrote on her report for London Evening Standard that, Ben Barnes’s Dorian Gray has a glint in his eyes that’s half charming and half psychotic. It starts to make Rolling Stones look like a kind of boys you’d like to take home for tea. And Francesca Scorcucchi confirmed it. “Ben Barnes has the looks as if he has done himself pact with the devil. Long hair, 3 days beard, light shadow under his eyes that made him even more charming. He has a face whom you can’t deny anything”.

Tall and aristocratic looking, Ben Barnes exudes an almost supernatural beauty and grace and being cast as Dorian Gray is like being told that he’s the ultimate in beauty, that people should sell their grandmothers to look like him. But that fact doesn’t give him so much confidence. “I don’t know. You still get these waves of doubt that come over you, for example, when you get a bad review or you accept a part and think, “Oh, God, what have I just accepted? I can’t do that.” I don’t think that’s something that will ever go away in me”. Though Barnes was worried about making a “hash” of it, but Dorian Gray “is still a great role that you can not refuse as an actor”, he said.

And that was what Oliver Parker was worry about. He wasn’t entirely convinced Ben Barnes could do the role of Dorian Gray until after Ben impressed him in the audition. Ben might be just a little too good looking to convince as a man who sells his soul for eternal youth and the undeniable pleasure of the flesh. “I thought, yeah he’s great looking guy, but is it boy band or is it a real talent? And the delight for me was to find that there is a real talent there. He could do the sweet, charming, innocent thing but believe me, there is a very bad boy in there. I’ve noticed a certain relish when he contributes ideas to his murkier scenes”.

Collin Firth, played as Lord Henry Wotton, Ben’s on-screen mentor, adds, “I didn’t have any concerns about him. My concerns for Ben are that there’s a rather Dorian-esque thing about being as beautiful as he is. He actually might get hired because he’s beautiful, but he’s got a lot to prove, because the world is skeptical of it. I think he has a real battle with public perception. I think he is a person of great substance. I think he’s an actor of great talent. He’s very, very bright. The assumption that I had when I met him was, “You’re just a pretty boy.” I think I did catch myself being surprised at how talented he was. He’s far than just a pretty boy, he’s not to be underestimated. He’s shaping up to be a rather formidable actor”.

For someone as handsome as Ben Barnes, he may be would have liked to remaining young and handsome before he took a part in the movie. But after having watching what happened to his character “I understood that it’s not so pleasant. We all live in a society that’s crazy about youth – all these Botox and cosmetic surgery, “yes-I-always-look-like-I’m-25” – but it leads to no good. At the end Dorian wants to kill himself to get rid of fake youth. “Pleasure has nothing in common with happiness”. Wilde’s novel is quite able to explain what one shouldn’t do to be happy – one should quit paying much attention to appearance”.

dorian gray

Ben Barnes has an analytical approach to create a required character for his role. This ability made him, the boy who never get a scratch, drinks and never looks hungover and generally lives a life of consequence free-debauchery, able to portray Dorian Gray convincingly. Ben Barnes, with his indisputably handsome look and real talent, was the perfect choice for Dorian Gray.

related posts:
Ben Barnes, the non – flavor of the month trends actor
Prince Caspian, a dream come true

I write so I can share what I see through my heart, my personal point of view and my own analysis.

Disclaimer: All writing materials used in this blog are belongs to their rightful owners, benbarnesonline, benbarnessource and benbarnesfan

No copyright infringement intended.