Kevin Spacey in 'Superman whatever'. Has he jumped the shark?

[babylonsister]

He's on Charlie Rose, I respect him as an actor, but huh? Is 'Superman whatever' a risk, made for the money, going to be a blockbuster, what?

[Radio_Lady]

1. Check out these two links, babylon sister.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5313593&mesg_id=5313593

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5311761&mesg_id=5311761

Thanks for your post. I'm going to try and stay up for Charlie Rose 12 midnight Pacific Time... yuck...

The movie cost $260 million.

The idea of making another "Superman" movie has been around for almost twenty years.

It's opening Wednesday, June 28 to generally favorable reviews.

Kevin Spacey is an actor who works for a living, last time I looked. Oh, he did say he was retiring, but his foray into the London theater scene -- not sure if it's been successful.

Will you be seeing this movie, or not? We've been chatting it up for a couple of weeks.

In peace,

Radio_Lady (Movie reviewer in Oregon)

[babylonsister]

2. I never 'knew' anyone so into Superman, Radio_Lady!

Spacey has 'retired' to England, IIRC. I am not a Superman fan, but a Kevin Spacey fan.
I hope he sees the way clear to lend his talent to something more; he's too young to retire!
And I hope you enjoy the movie!

[Wetzelbill]

4. Radio_Lady is Seinfeldian in her love for Superman

:)

[Radio_Lady]

5. For the record, I think Kevin Spacey is a great actor!

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

7. Spacey's been the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre for 2 years

and AFAIK plans to serve out a ten year tenure.

http://www.oldvictheatre.com/index.php

The press over here has been rather sniffy about it & the recent production of Arthur Miller's last play (directed by Robert Altman) got very hostile reviews. Spacey's also acting in some of the productions, although I don't know how he's been received so far. That he's also managed to shoot two films and promote Beyond the Sea probably bodes well for continuing work in films, which is great because he's a very talented actor.

[Radio_Lady]

15. He said he's going to play in "Moon for the Misbegotten" starting

in September 2006. I'd love to see that one. We might just get back to London, but it won't be until NEXT summer, if at all.

Radio_Lady and husband, after a musical matinee at London's Piccadilly Theatre!

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

19. Wonderful photo! So glad you had a great time. nt

[Radio_Lady]

21. Cute story: An adorable male Aussie -- drunk as a coot -- came up to us

and asked if we'd take a shot of him and his mates, just out of a Piccadilly Pub. They were all screaming about the football game they were watching -- and none of them was feeling any pain. I pointed and shot with his camera.

Then he offered to take the shot of us. My husband has a new digital camera, and he was worried about this guy dropping it. But, he didn't! This is the best two-shot we have from the whole three week vacation in Scotland, England, and New York City. I hope his came out as well...

Monkey see Monkey do -- where are you located?

Warm regards to you in the UK!

In peace,

Radio_Lady in Oregon USA

[giant_robot]

3. Kevin's got to do a lot worse than Superman or K-pax...

...to lose my respect. Did you see him on late night TV last night? (I think it was Letterman) He did some amazing impressions. The coolest thing was that The Streets was the musical guest, and he changed the first verse of his song to, "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn't exist." A very cool homage to a great actor!

[Richardo]

10. His Jack Lemmon is the funniest ever.

I like him a lot.

[Rob H.]

11. Did you see the "Star Wars" audition reels on SNL?

Spacey did an impression of Christopher Walken reading for the part of Han Solo. He had the voice and mannerisms down cold--it was hilarious!

[Richardo]

12. One of my favorite SNL bits - Walter Matthau as Chewbacca

:rofl:

[Patiod]

17. His SNL "auditions" is one of my favorites as well!

He is amazing. No one bats 1000.

[Broken_Hero]

6. I thought

Spacey's role as Lex Luthor was very good...:) Very stong performance:)

[MissMillie]

8. I don't think it's necessary for good actors to limit themselves

to serious roles in order for them to be considered good actors.

I think it's important for everyone to let their hair down every now and then (though I understand Lex Luthor has no hair) and if he manages a strong performance in the meantime that only proves what a great actor he is after all.

[Radio_Lady]

25. How about Johnny Depp? He's taken on some great parts!

We just saw Depp, Orlando Bloom, and English actor Bill Nighy as "Davy Jones" (the quintessential voice of a calamari -- wait until you see THIS bad guy...) in the new movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- I have enjoyed Nighy in some wonderful parts once I became familiar with him several years ago.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

9. Did DeNiro lose your respect with Rocky and Bullwinkle?

Seriously, why can't these guys do some fun roles? They've done more than enough to cement their standing as some of the all-time greats.

[babylonsister]

13. I haven't seen Rocky & Bullwinkle, but sort of equate

DeNiro to comedy as well now after his turns in the Analyze and Fokker movies.
I guess, because I'm not a Superman fan and such a big Spacey fan, that I hoped he'd
find a meatier role. So I'll just have to wait for that.

[xmas74]

14. Maybe it was for fun?

Many read the comics as children. Maybe it was one of those deals-good or bad, can you really turn down being in something you dreamed of as a child?

It's similar to what Emma Thompson or Jennifer Saunders said about being in their family movies (one of the Harry Potters for Thompson, Shrek 2 for Saunders): they both said that their children would never forgive them for not doing the roles. Maybe Spacey sees it as a way to connect with families overall and expand his audience?

Who knows.

[Bridget Burke]

16. "Superman Returns" has gotten pretty good reviews....

79% at Rotten Tomatoes: www.rottentomatoes.com/m/superman_returns/

It's aimed at the "popular" market but is not a piece of schlock. Kevin will earn enough from the film to invest his time in more arty projects, if he wishes.

Here's Sir Ian McKellen's homepage. He doesn't "save" himself for Pure Art, but remains a highly respected actor. He still does Shakespeare--& can afford to devote time (& money?) to favorite causes.
www.mckellen.com/

[Radio_Lady]

22. Thanks for the link. I love Sir Ian -- and people have to do what

they have to do, as most of us learn in life.

We just saw a preview of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which opens here on Friday, 7/7/06.

You won't even recognize Bill Nighy, the very talented English actor, as the really nefarious seafaring character "Davy Jones." He reminds me of -- well -- calamari! Unbelievable!

Yes, as I said, I think "Superman Returns" will do big box office business. You're right, it's not a piece of schlock at all.

In peace,

Radio_Lady (movie reviewer in Oregon)

[dysfunctional press]

18. i guess gene hackman jumped the shark in his turn as lex luther as well?

Kevin Spacey is the ONLY thing that has me even considering seeing the movie.

and even then, i plan to wait for the dvd.

[JackDragna]

20. His role in "Superman Returns" is pretty awful..

..but it won't kill his career. Everyone's in bad movies, now and then. :)

[Catch22Dem]

23. No way, not even close. (n/t)

[Radio_Lady]

24. OK. I felt a bit dumb, so I finally looked up "jumped the shark" --

I had no idea what this expression means before now!
Here's some background on what it means (Learn something new every day)!

From: http://www.jumptheshark.com/about.htm

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

Q. Did "jump the shark" originate from this web site, or did you create the site to capitalize on the phrase?

A. It all started here. This site went up December 24, 1997 and gave birth to the phrase "jump the shark." As the site continues to grow in popularity, the term has become more commonplace. The site is the chicken, the egg, and now a Catch-22.

Q. What is jumping the shark?

A. It's a moment. A defining moment when you know that your favorite television program has reached its peak. That instant that you know from now on...it's all downhill. Some call it the climax. We call it "Jumping the Shark." From that moment on, the program will simply never be the same.

The term "jump the shark" was coined by my college roommate for 4 years, Sean J. Connolly, in Ann Arbor, Michigan back in 1985. This web site, book, film, and all other material surrounding shark jumping, are hereby dedicated to "the Colonel."

The aforementioned expression refers to the telltale sign of the demise of Happy Days, our favorite example, when Fonzie actually "jumped the shark." The rest is history.

Jumping the shark applies not only to TV, but also music, film, even everyday life. "Did you see her boyfriend? She definitely jumped the shark." You get the idea.

We have begun by chronicling the history of television. We are incorporating shows from the new season slowly but surely. Some shows are not listed...yet! We invite you to comment when any show jumped the shark.

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