Can Casey act or what?

haha, I mean you might get a different answer depending where you ask this! It's all subjective and also your opinion is your opinion anyway, not right or wrong: watch the art you enjoy. And also: shocking ain't it that two brothers may not be utterly the same?!

Anyway, I love Casey's work myself. I think the things I love most about his acting are that he can always surprise me and that I never feel like he's "acting a scene" but always that he's feeling and thinking what his character would be at the given time. Not sure if that makes sense. Obviously he is "acting a scene" but I guess I just mean I feel he can inhabit his characters and that his performances come from the inside.

I was blown away when I saw Casey for the first time in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and when I saw the credits at the end and saw his name I could barely believe he could maybe be the brother of Ben given his name and had to check it out when I got home. I actually don't remember another performance I saw in a cinema by anyone that got to me quite like that one did. But when I say he can surprise me, he's truly disturbing in The Killer Inside Me for example, and in this film this board is about it's really through Casey and thus Bob's yearning that drove the emotion and tone of the film for me. (I find all the actors great in their roles in this though: I guess it is that Bob's yearning is the film's yearning.) The scene he has where he talks in the mirror: from funny to moving and it's just him and a mirror and words: I love that scene so. But yeah, even in Gerry - with hardly any words and mostly just walking, for me, there's something about what Casey does as an actor.

Anyway, I'd say Ben, acting-wise is more a movie star while Casey is an actor. Poor Ben gets a lot of criticism acting-wise but y'know I just re-watched Dogma last night (I'd forgotten how good it is!) and the only other film I've seen with Ben in this year is Good Will Hunting which I'd never seen before. He's great in both. Maybe not acting to write home about, but they're both very good films. And to be fair, I think with massive stars it's hard to help having an opinion even if you've not seen that much of their work. I maybe haven't seen that many of Ben's films since to be honest I wouldn't seek them out (but why wouldn't I? Well, I did see that awful Daredevil film once and I suppose in my head that "wooden" Ben is how I think of him...) but I've never seen him transcend being Ben Affleck in a role. Not to say he hasn't, but if he has I haven't seen it.

I think this is the difference acting wise: Casey can become a character... while if Ben can be entirely not-Ben, I've not yet seen him be so. Or maybe it's something else??

Anyway, as is apparent, I agree with you. I guess what (great) acting is (in my view) is having good intuition and empathy and being able to instinctively understand a character and then you can convincingly become them and hopefully also convey their nature and feelings to the audience.

I've not seen Argo! I've tried to be polite in my thoughts here, but there's the other thing: I guess since Ben stars in it I'm not so curious to. The only of Ben's films I've actually seen is the one starring Casey. Which I love and I love how Ben directed it. I adore how he starts and ends the film - the world he sets and the message he conveys with his film. I wonder how it compares to his other films to anyone who has seen them all?!

Regarding anyone directing themself: I wonder why people do it? I recently watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and this is going off topic very much, but I really enjoyed it. And I could feel Ben Stiller loved the idea of it. But, while he was good in it, I couldn't help feeling if maybe he'd just directed it and not acted in it too but got someone else in whether maybe it could have been a great film rather than a good film but not one you'd fall in love with. Because the concept of it really is something I feel could have made a film you could fall in love with. But that film is not it, at least for me. Even though I did enjoy it and it did touch me.

Right, I am utterly off the subject now so here I shall... stop... About time. I don't know why I ramble on. OH WELL! SORRY!

I just love this guy. He acts from the inside out, not the outside in. While his brother is stuffed with sawdust, Casey comes away completely empty because he leaves everything on the screen. I saw Out of the Furnace just because he was in it.

This is the second film I've seen with Casey Affleck and he really captures my imagination on screen. I hope to watch more with him. As to his brother Ben ... 'nuff said.

I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.

Casey is a great actor and Ben Affleck can't act! Ben Affleck needs to blow his nose!!! His Mouth Breathing is annoying! His Full of Himself Attitude just comes across in every film I've seen him in. If he has learned to act lately, I wouldn't know it!
I think Casey is a much better actor.

*NEVERMIND*

I agree Casey is genuinely a good actor, Ben was sub par that got his acting roles largely on his looks. He is a very good director though.


Film Reverie: http://filmreverie.blogspot.com.au/
My film diary: http://letterboxd.com/filmreverie/

no he can't act, all due respect ... i just came on to start a thread asking how annoying casey was in this film since i wanted to watch it for ben foster and rooney mara ... so maybe i'll also post that but if anyone has a CasAffAnnoyMeter reading please post it ;)

not trying to just trash on you and your post, you have your opinion and you state it fine so hope my comment wasn't too rude :)

(oh but btw, love ben foster and rooney mara) :)



take care,
cormac


"One star in the sky
so I named it Otis Redding"
-- John Hiatt

Strongly disagree with you. In fact, I find that even if I don't like the film, I love his acting in it.

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