MovieChat Forums > Kristen Stewart Discussion > "... just about the most uniquely intere...

"... just about the most uniquely interesting actor working today."

posted 6 years ago by CKid (3816)
6 replies | jump to latest

The subject line of this post comes from the final paragraph regarding Kristen's 'Personal Shopper' performance in an article titled,
Where Art Thou? A look at 2018's forgotten Oscar contenders by Matt Rodgers.

Four films/performances were discussed in this article. They were ... Emma Stone in 'Battle of the Sexes,' 'The Disaster Artist,' a film by James Franco, Kristen in 'P.S.' and Katherine Bigelow directing 'Detroit' (both the film and Katherine's direction are discussed).

Here is the section on Kristen ...

Kristen Stewart - Personal Shopper

Kristen Stewart is OUTSTANDING in Olivier Assayas' 'Personal Shopper.' OUTSTANDING. And although her performance was never really in the discussion like the other entrants on this list, it should have been.

A meditative, ambiguous ghost story, that premiered as far back as Cannes 2016, where it was booed, whatever weight that carries these days, before bouncing around the festival circuit with glowing notices.

It's perhaps telling that in researching this list, the release date had to be double and triple checked to make sure it would even qualify for the 2018 Oscars (10th March 2017 US). Like the sparingly used spectre that Stewart's grieving twin encounters, 'Personal Shopper' appeared to float around the filmgoer's peripherals for at least a year, so much that it seemed to vanish from people's consciousness.

In all honesty, this writer had to be nudged into watching it, and by highlighting it in this rundown, those of you who haven't sought it out will hopefully correct that crime against cinema.

What you'll be greeted with is proof that Stewart is just about the most uniquely interesting actor working today. Here she is beautifully ordinary, acting alone for most of the film, in a silence that's accentuating that otherworld quality that's often misinterpreted as cold. It might be a role lacking any obvious cultural parallels, but as performance you'll find few better.

The entire article can be found at ...
https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2018/02/art-thou-look-2018s-forgotten-oscar-contenders/

And now a thought regarding what has been going on around here in South Florida for the past two weeks --
Kristen, as some of us know, has stated that she plans to work on a script regarding gun control. In light of the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and Trump's utterly ridiculous statement that teachers should carry guns, I think it would be quite interesting if Kristen would both write a script and act as a teacher who does indeed carry a gun, gets involved in a school shooting and while trying to protect her students, accidentally shoots and kills one or more of her students. It is how she handles the aftermath of said shooting where I think the script should focus.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

"What you'll be greeted with is proof that Stewart is just about the most uniquely interesting actor working today. Here she is beautifully ordinary, acting alone for most of the film, in a silence that's accentuating that otherworld quality that's often misinterpreted as cold. It might be a role lacking any obvious cultural parallels, but as performance you'll find few better."

I'm glad to see this. Kristen was very good in Personal Shopper. It's the kind of weighty role that she does so well with and that makes her among the unique actors who excel at taking on such roles.

I'm mixed on the idea of teachers carrying guns, in part because there's a legal aspect to anyone using force even to protect themselves and others such as the school kids. Also trying to react in such a mind numbing such instance can be so difficult without police type training over and above just handling a weapon. Law enforcement has the training in the legal aspects and in handling the stress and even they don't always respond so well. That's becoming quite evident in the Parkland shooting and looks worse and worse as more info comes out. I still say police or those well trained should be the armed security.

That said, some states/cities and schools already have teachers carrying. Trump speaks to that as one idea. That's all to be decided by States and school systems, not the Feds. I doubt that it'll be a widespread idea though. My vote is for stepped up security like there is in some schools that have metal detectors, armed security, locked doors and more.

I'd also like to see Kristen do a movie. One that perhaps looks at all aspects so audiences see a broader focus on the issues, gun control and why US society and culture are more violent in today's world.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

And now a thought regarding what has been going on around here in South Florida for the past two weeks --
Kristen, as some of us know, has stated that she plans to work on a script regarding gun control. In light of the horrific Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and Trump's utterly ridiculous statement that teachers should carry guns, I think it would be quite interesting if Kristen would both write a script and act as a teacher who does indeed carry a gun, gets involved in a school shooting and while trying to protect her students, accidentally shoots and kills one or more of her students. It is how she handles the aftermath of said shooting where I think the script should focus.

One alternate ending would involve her becoming a hero by protecting all of her students and herself from harm--which might not be credible for some moviegoers as this may take a huge dose of suspension of disbelief. A more realistic alternative scenario and ending could include her character taking the bullets and becoming a human shield as her pistol is no match for the shooter's semi-automatic assault rifle equipped with a 50-round magazine. Or, her character is shot by a SWAT team as they mistaken her for the shooter if they see her packing heat, as some policeman have the shoot-first-ask-questions-later mentality, especially when confronted with someone armed and dangerous in the immediate vicinity. Or, perhaps the most realistic scenario, would be that her character would simply freeze up when confronted with a shooter armed to the teeth going on a rampage, just as the school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School lacked the courage to enter the building where the shooting occurred despite training his entire career for dealing with such a threat. Speaking from personal experience, even though a solid concrete wall stood between myself and a gangbanger, reputedly from California, who gunned down a local Hawaii gang member, gangland assassination style with an AK-47 assault rifle over a reputed drug dispute/turf war, I admittedly froze up. Had the concrete wall not been there between me and the shooter, I would probably have been paralyzed with fear.

And here's an incident which happened very recently which shows that arming teachers may not be such a good idea: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/28/us/georgia-teacher-gun-shooting.html

P.S. The reason why I'm responding to your OP only now Carved is that I have noticed it appearing just recently, last time I logged in 10 hours ago I did not see this topic on this board, even though it appears you posted it 2 days ago.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

"Speaking from personal experience, even though a solid concrete wall stood between myself and a gangbanger, reputedly from California, who gunned down a local Hawaii gang member, gangland assassination style with an AK-47 assault rifle over a reputed drug dispute/turf war, I admittedly froze up. Had the concrete wall not been there between me and the shooter, I would probably have been paralyzed with fear."

That sounds so scary. This is what I mean about freezing up or a person gets so hyped up with adrenaline, nerves, etc. that he/she has trouble with reacting, motor skills. That's where training can really help as the person's training kicks in. How did you get into that predicament?

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

That sounds so scary. This is what I mean about freezing up or a person gets so hyped up with adrenaline, nerves, etc. that he/she has trouble with reacting, motor skills. That's where training can really help as the person's training kicks in. How did you get into that predicament?

The area where this occurred is a high-intensity drug trafficking area. What complicates matters is that it's also home to thousands of law-abiding residents and business owners, including some of my relatives who live or work in the area. Normally here in Hawaii, disputes over drug deals are usually settled with fists. The only problem was the mainland gang members were smaller in stature when compared to the local gang members, some of them big and strong enough to play defensive tackle or offensive guard on an NCAA FBS Division I football squad. I was kinda hoping some of them would have played for the University of Hawaii Warriors instead of pursuing a life of crime. So as you can imagine, being that the California gang members were outsized and outmuscled, they would sometimes bring a gun to a fistfight. The gang hit which I spoke about earlier was in my opinion, the culmination of two street gangs battling for turf, which started out as fistfights, then escalated into gang rumbles which sometimes involved the use of knives or a handgun and climaxing with a gangland-style assassination with a high-powered assault rifle.

Yes, things can sometimes get pretty violent and deadly even here in the Aloha State. If there's any consolation to this tragic incident, no innocent bystander was killed by a stray bullet. This experience could also help me if I ever choose to include a scene involving gun violence in a screenplay I write, as I have firsthand knowledge of how certain types of street gangs operate and interact with rival gang members or even with members of the community as well as with law enforcement.

Speaking of assault weapons and gangs, are there criminal elements in your neighborhood, and if this is the case, is this a major reason why you oppose laws that would ban assault rifles?

[–] Ron2011 (907) 6 years ago

"Speaking of assault weapons and gangs, are there criminal elements in your neighborhood, and if this is the case, is this a major reason why you oppose laws that would ban assault rifles? "

I live in a town outside of Boston which is pretty quiet though it has its share of crime, drug trafficking just like anywhere else. Boston has more of the heavier crime but even in towns well outside Boston there's growing crime and issues from drug gangs and such. One of my neighbors and friend is on the SWAT team for an area on the south shore of Massachusetts and talks about things getting pretty busy at times.

I don't have a strong opinion either way on what are being called assault rifles. The thing I fear is the guns some politicians want to ban get all grouped in and are not any kind of assault rifle. Such as semi-automatic hunting rifles and shotguns which can't be equipped with high capacity clips. That kind of thing. However, I'm pretty angry that our politicians haven't done much over the past decade, actions that they should have taken after the first school shooting! Just like we took drastic security actions at airports after 9/11.

[–] LLOwens (983) 6 years ago

I don't have a strong opinion either way on what are being called assault rifles. The thing I fear is the guns some politicians want to ban get all grouped in and are not any kind of assault rifle. Such as semi-automatic hunting rifles and shotguns which can't be equipped with high capacity clips. That kind of thing. However, I'm pretty angry that our politicians haven't done much over the past decade, actions that they should have taken after the first school shooting! Just like we took drastic security actions at airports after 9/11.

Now I'm beginning to understand why gun advocates approach this issue as all-or-nothing, fighting to keep all guns legal, because it may come down to all-or-nothing in the sense that all rifles, including those designed specifically for hunting, could be banned as well like you mentioned--overly broad legislation.

One thing I've learned about how our government legislates and passes laws, in general, is that it's pretty lax when it comes to certain issues, as it is more reactive than proactive. Yet when unintended consequences directly or indirectly result from such legislation, and especially when the outcome is public outrage, they sometimes overreach and overreact, which I'm guessing is what the NRA fears the most, so they're firmly holding their ground on this issue and sticking to their guns, literally and figuratively. And if they admit fault, admitting the products they endorse have led to deaths which could have been prevented, this could lead to class action lawsuits and other litigation which could drive gun manufacturers who sell guns to the general public, out of business.

In my research on this issue, I came across another possible reason why some gun owners are adamant about their second amendment rights. It's not so much about them defending their 2A rights in relation to our current government structure which is very supportive of gun ownership, more so than any other advanced nation on Earth, but rather to quell their speculative worries, whether such a scenario is unfounded or not, by fighting to preserve their right to bear arms just in case a more socialist leaning government takes its place in the future, as some futurists, or conspiracy theorists for that matter, are fearful of.