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Screen Rant ranks twelve of Kristen's roles

posted 5 years ago by CKid (3816)
11 replies | jump to latest

I just read a rather interesting ranking of a dozen of Kristen's most iconic roles at ...
https://screenrant.com/kristen-stewart-iconic-movie-roles-ranked/

In reverse order, those roles were in the following films ...
12) Twilight
11) Adventureland
10) In the Land of Women
. 9) Certain Women
. 8) Panic Room
. 7) Camp X-Ray
. 6) Into the Wild
. 5) Lizzie
. 4) Still Alice
. 3) Clouds of Sils Maria
. 2) Personal Shopper
. 1) Speak

First off, let me say how pleasantly surprised I was that Kristen playing Melinda Sordino in Speak was ranked Number One on this list. I applaud Screen Rant for doing so, especially since Speak never played on the big screen with the exception of its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and possibly at a few other film fests.

I was also quite pleased to see that Kristen's role as Julianne Moore's daughter in Still Alice was ranked fourth. And speaking of surprises, Kristen's role in Lizzie coming in at number five was definitely a surprise. Finally, let me add that I was also pleased to see Kristen's roles in Certain Women and Camp X-Ray make the list.

OK, now for a few complaints ... it annoyed me that Kristen playing Georgia In The Cake Eaters was not ranked. What? Was Kristen playing a girl who wanted to experience love before it was too late despite that fact that she suffered from Friedreich's ataxia not iconic enough? Or did the author of the list not see the film?

And speaking of icons, how is Kristen doing a fantastic job of playing Joan Jett in The Runaways not iconic enough?

My other complaint with this article was the first sentence regarding Adventureland ...
"The filming of Adventureland coincides with Kristen's Twilight schedule."
It seems obvious to me that the author mistakenly believes that because Adventureland was released in between the first two Twilight films, that it must have been filmed in between the filming of those two films. WRONG! For the record, Adventureland was filmed before Twilight was filmed. In fact, Catherine Hardwicke, the director of Twilight, flew to Pittsburgh where Kristen was filming Adventureland in order to audition Kristen for the role of Bella. Of course, this is something that only someone who was a fan of Kristen before Twilight would know, so I guess I had better forgive the author.

Btw, I have no problem that Twilight appeared on this list, because after all, Bella was indeed an iconic role. But so was Kristen playing Joan Jett for crying out loud. How someone could include In the Land of Women while excluding The Runaways is beyond me.

The solution?
It's simple -- forget twelve films and just make it a baker's dozen!
That way, The Runaways could be included without eliminating any of the other roles that Screen Rant listed.
Or better yet, make it 14 films an add The Cake Eaters.
No, wait ... might as well just make it a sweet 16 and also include On the Road and Snow White and The Huntsman.

Finally, I am quite certain that this list will have to be expanded once Charlie's Angels and Against All Enemies are released.

OK, Carved Kid's rant is over. I'm putting away my knife. ;-)
https://youtu.be/ZRILZxpdRJQ

[–] Ron2011 (907) 5 years ago

Overall I like this list I think her role and Twilight was a huge role that had a massive fan base and made a of money which puts it in a unique category so I can see how it was listed. But it wasn't among her more in depth and challenging roles. I do agree and feel The Cake Eaters should have been on this list but given that she has so many good roles and listing only twelve, well, something has to be left out.

Speak was indeed a great role for her, one that she did so well with a tough subject. Pretty cool that Panic Room is on the list, because while she was young I feel she did a great job, showed a lot of maturity and was a great complement to veteran Jodie Foster.

Lizzie being on there as one of her recent films is good to see. Into the Wild is another good one that was a smaller but significant role in that film and which got her some good attention and help her land additional roles.

So I think we see many roles/films and in so many she's done so well with them. That speaks volumes, very nicely, to her ability and range.

Thanks for posting this CK. :)

[–] LLOwens (983) 5 years ago

Speak is only Stewart's sixth acting credit, but, even at such a young age, she proved that she could hold her own. After a dramatic sexual assault experience over the summer, Stewart's character, Melinda, has to face her peers as she enters high school. She becomes mute, refusing to speak to anyone about anything. Her silence does not go unnoticed, and she receives further isolation from her peers, which deepens the impact of the event. Stewart's character is more prominently displayed through her emotions and physical direction rather than her dialogue, which helps to bring out the story and its subsequent emotion even better.

This statement flat-out debunks the misconception that Kristen is an expressionless, wooden actress who cannot emote, as it says the complete opposite--implying that she can very well act in an impressive manner without having to utter a single word. Interestingly, Kristen's character Melinda in this film had the last name "Sordino", which means "muted", similar to how her character's name Bella, in The Twilight Saga films, also had a hidden meaning, in this case it means beautiful.

Kristen's performance in Speak is reminiscent of the roles actors had during the silent film era, circa 1891 to 1929. One actor that comes to mind is 3-time Oscar nominated actress Greta Garbo who first rose to international fame because of her iconic performances in silent films. Being that I'm all about show, not tell when it comes to movies, here's a clip of Garbo from Flesh and the Devil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBnLqRPnLLM

I could easily picture Kristen portraying such a role, as Kristen possess many of the same qualities that Garbo possessed onscreen and off. For example, Garbo was known for her subtle and nuanced facial expressions to convey emotion just like Kristen does. The camera loved Garbo, directors and cinematographers tried to squeeze in as much closeup shots as possible, just as they do with Kristen. Garbo was naturally shy as a child, and even as she grew older, she still shunned the limelight and the press who hounded her, just like Kristen, who is introverted by nature and feels she must hide from the paparazzi--although I must add that any sane person would hide from these vultures. There were rumors that Garbo was a lesbian because she never married, just as there are rumors regarding many of Kristen's supposed romances, past and present.

Again, for emphasis, rule number one in directing and screenwriting: "Show, don't tell." Film is predominantly a visual medium, so moviegoers in general want to learn about a character by what he or she does, more than by what this one may say. Sure, witty dialogue has its place in cinema. Yet the true masterpieces of cinema are predominantly visually oriented instead of being mere talking heads films. And this is a major reason why Kristen is my fave actor. Her acting transcends time and space. She could be just as home in a modern, big budget actioner, a contemporary comedy, an indie drama or a film from Hollywood's silent era, because of her ability to emote without having to speak. I sometimes hear people criticize Kristen for not taking acting lessons. But do these people even realize that from her very first lead role, she already knew the most important thing about filmmaking and acting, which like I mentioned previously is to show, not tell.

On a final note, Carved, I too would have definitely included "The Runaways" and "The Cake
Eaters" in my top 12. If there's any consolation, the film that made you a fan of Kristen, is likewise their numero uno.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 5 years ago

"I could easily picture Kristen portraying such a role, as Kristen possess many of the same qualities that Garbo possessed onscreen and off. For example, Garbo was known for her subtle and nuanced facial expressions to convey emotion just like Kristen does. The camera loved Garbo, directors and cinematographers tried to squeeze in as much closeup shots as possible, just as they do with Kristen. Garbo was naturally shy as a child, and even as she grew older, she still shunned the limelight and the press who hounded her, just like Kristen, who is introverted by nature and feels she must hide from the paparazzi--although I must add that any sane person would hide from these vultures. "

Good thoughts on this. I'm not very familiar with Greta Garbo but your description of the similarities is spot on with Kristen's style as she certainly also conveys thoughts and emotions so very well just by her facial and body expressions. It's really one of Kristen's fortes or strengths in her acting and fun to watch.

[–] LLOwens (983) 5 years ago

I'm not very familiar with Greta Garbo but your description of the similarities is spot on with Kristen's style as she certainly also conveys thoughts and emotions so very well just by her facial and body expressions. It's really one of Kristen's fortes or strengths in her acting and fun to watch.

I would have to agree that Kristen's ability to emote in a subtle, natural and controlled way with regard to her facial expressions and gestures is one of her biggest strengths as an actor. She doesn't have to utter a single word and the viewer pretty much knows exactly how she feels. And the funny thing is, even if you go back to her earliest credited role in a feature film, which was as a 10-year-old budding actress in "The Safety of Objects", she already excelled in the subtleties and nuances of acting. I put together this video edit a year ago which contains brief clips from her earliest roles as well as several others over the following years as a case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NPNTlC_OFQ

It seems as though, those who claim that she's not a good actor don't really understand the fundamental differences between screen and stage acting and should take the advice from professional film critics, who collectively say she's got major screen acting talent.

Admittedly, Ron, I haven't watched many silent films over the past year with the exception of Charlie Chaplin's most popular films (i.e., Modern Times, The Great Dictator, City Lights, The Gold Rush) and a couple of Fritz Lang classics (Metropolis, M).

[–] CKid (3816) 5 years ago

LL, reading your post which contains comments about Greta Garbo and Speak made me think about one of my favorite films ...
Garbo Talks (1984) with Anne Bancroft and Ron Silver - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087313
Trailer - https://youtu.be/08J5gfaaLEM

It's a small gem of a film, so check it out if you haven't seen it.

Man, using <> instead of [] feels so weird. It's gonna take awhile before I get used to it.
That being said, it is nice that we no longer have to put url and /url inside brackets in order to link to something.
Oh yeah, if you're not aware of what I'm referring to, click on formatting help the next time you post.

[–] LLOwens (983) 5 years ago

LL, reading your post which contains comments about Greta Garbo and Speak made me think about one of my favorite films ...
Garbo Talks (1984) with Anne Bancroft and Ron Silver - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087313
Trailer - https://youtu.be/08J5gfaaLEM

It's a small gem of a film, so check it out if you haven't seen it.

The bad news is my Netflix plan doesn't have this film available for rent. The good news is, one of the comments in the trailer that you posted the link to, mentions it's free to watch on Tubi TV. So double thanks, Carved, for mentioning this film and posting the links. I'll make sure to watch it sometime this week.

[–] CKid (3816) 5 years ago

What??? Tubi TV, you say?
Do you mean to tell me that you just can't go down to your local Blockbuster and rent the damned thing?
Just remember, after you're done watching it, "Be Kind. Please Rewind."

Oh wait, wrong decade.
Oops, I mean, wrong century. ;-)

Seriously though, looking forward to hearing how much you liked it.
And Ron, if you haven't already seen Garbo Talks, I am quite certain that you'll enjoy it too.

[–] LLOwens (983) 5 years ago

Do you mean to tell me that you just can't go down to your local Blockbuster and rent the damned thing?
Just remember, after you're done watching it, "Be Kind. Please Rewind."

Oh wait, wrong decade.
Oops, I mean, wrong century. ;-)

Boy do I miss those brick-and-mortar stores such as Tower Records and Blockbuster Video--I could literally spend all day perusing for movies and music. Sure, virtually any film or song can be streamed, rented or purchased online, but it's just not the same as flipping through hundreds or even thousands of physical discs, cases and album/slip-covers, while rubbing shoulders and hobnobbing with movie and music buffs.

[–] LLOwens (983) 5 years ago

I finally found the time to watch Garbo Talks, and I'm glad I did as I'm a fan of 4-time Oscar nominated director Sidney Lumet, who directed some of my all-time fave movies (i.e., The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, Network, Serpico). If only Kristen had the privilege to star in one of his films, as he was predominantly an independent director, depicted realism onscreen like few directors could, renowned as a movie moralist, and was widely known as an actor's director, which were just a few of his outstanding trademarks, would have been a perfect fit for Kristen, as these qualities compliment her style, choices and preferences with regard to her acting career.

Don't understand why this film was panned by the critics--it currently has a rating of 14% on Rotten Tomatoes--and bombed at the box office. Even the late, great Roger Ebert, who highly praised Lumet's illustrious directing career and filmography, gave this film only 1 star out of 4 because it lacked substance.

Even if the storyline wasn't the greatest, 5-time Oscar nominated actress and Academy Award winner, Anne Bancroft's Golden Globes nominated performance in this film, in itself made it highly watchable. Throw in a couple of noteworthy performances by Ron Silver and Carrie Fisher, and it was well worth the price of admission, or the cost to rent or stream it, although I watched it for free on Tubi TV.

Anyhow, thanks, Carved, for recommending this underrated gem of a movie.

[–] CKid (3816) 5 years ago

You're welcome, LL, and I am very glad that you enjoyed the film.
Much like yourself, it was Anne Bancroft's performance that made Garbo Talks so entertaining for me.
And yes, I agree that it would have been nice if Kristen had had the chance to work with Sidney Lumet.

Oh yeah, another film of Anne's that I absolutely love is 84 Charing Cross Road, a film in which she plays a New York screenwriter/book aficionado who corresponds with a bookseller in England played by Anthony Hopkins.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090570/

Here's the trailer, which, unfortunately, does not quite do the film justice in my opinion. Therefore, I am also including one of the many segments of the film that are available on YouTube ...
trailer - https://youtu.be/fs01gT67upE
segment - https://youtu.be/sg1o46QRLP0

If you have not yet seen this film, I highly recommend that you do as I think that you'll enjoy it.
If you are unable to find a better way to watch it, I note that the entire film is available on YouTube for $3.99.

Finally, only one more week until we find out if Against All Enemies shall be having its premiere at The Venice Film Festival.
I certainly hope so.

[–] Ron2011 (907) 5 years ago

"Finally, only one more week until we find out if Against All Enemies shall be having its premiere at The Venice Film Festival. I certainly hope so."

:) So many of her films are Film Festival types, so we shall see on this one.