Another incarnation for Mara, and a lead role for a woman – the rarest thing in mainstream film now.
Another incarnation for Mara, and a lead role for a woman – the rarest thing in mainstream film now.
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In acting, less is oftentimes more, but there’s still a big difference between being subtle and internalizing. The former is a mark of true skill, whereas the latter is only a guise for it. In my opinion, Mara takes the latter route in her acting. But this is exactly what some apparently interpret as her amazing natural ability to give incredible, deeply emotive and nuanced performances (and yes, I’m aware of the critical acclaim she received for her turn as Lisbeth Salander, and yes, I saw TGWTDT, and yes, I fully *got* her character in that film and understood what she was being required to play). I, for one, just don’t see what all the hoopla over her is about. I don’t perceive her range — in fact, to me, she is very one-note. And *egad* I would certainly NEVER compare her in any way whatsoever to the immaculate Cate Blanchett like someone did upthread.
It also doesn’t help that in real life, she seems like one of the most dour, dull human beings of her generation. But perhaps I’m mistaken: maybe it’s just that she’s THAT intense, interesting, profound, and intriguing.
Dang, sorry, I meant I agree with the first part, but disagree with the second.
[fixed – Ryan]
Sam, I agree with the first part of your point (that blank-style actors win acclaim because they allow the audience to project onto them), but not the second (that this is peculiar to female actors). To me the ultimate example of that phenomenon is Brad Pitt, and the ultimate ULTIMATE example is his performance in Benjamin Button.
In my opinion Mara always comes across as a blank. Some people think that’s good acting…perhaps because they can project whatever they wish on the actor…I personally think it’s dull and without any real technique. We like our male actors to be high strung and full throttle…Sean Penn, Joaquin Phoenix…but, we like our female actors to be non-threatening and have nice bodies.
Carey Mulligan, in my opinion, is a MUCH better actress than either Mara or Jennifer Lawrence. And Mia Wasikowska is even better than Carey Mulligan. The I’d add Saoirse Ronan, Evan Rachel Wood, Dakota Fanning. Mara will be the bigger star….but, not the better actress.
I have no opinion on Mara’s acting because I don’t think I could a very well-founded one. To deliver the title of Best Actress of Her Generation to her after one movie and one 99-takes scene – all by the director who got a servicable performance out of Justin Timberlake – is a bit premature.
Saw this tonight and it’s another solid pic like Contagion and Magic Mike. He’s able to elevate genre while keeping it completely his own. Really bummed out he’s dropping out for a while right when he learned how to walk the tightrope between commercial pic and art house. Everyone always says one for them, one for me…he’s the only one I’ve seen who was able to combine it.
But Gabriel, Amy Adams is already 37. I think by “this generation” only those under 30 are being considered.
There’s all this Best Actress of her generation talk going on and no one has mentioned Amy Adams (4 Oscar Noms in 7 years). If you want to talk about Range, you mention Amy Adams. She’s great.
Zach, Rooney’s scenes in The Social Network weren’t throwaway scenes. They set the tone for how the film portrayed Zuckerberg from that point on.
What does “her generation” mean? At the moment the best actress of ANY generation is Marion Cotillard – it’s a shame she wasn’t nominated for Rust and Bone. It was easily the best single performance by an actor this year.
To me Rooney Mara, Evan Rachel Wood, Saoirse Ronan and Elizabeth Olsen will be the next thing. They are all strong actresses and can be both showy and subtle. I really LOVED Mara in Dragon Tattoo. And because of her cheek bones and incredible face, she can be such a shape shifter. Any hair colour or hair style can work. She can be very fem as well as masculine. Me like. Very Blanchett and Swinton esque
Emily Blunt has unfortunately been both unlucky and declined great roles because of scheduling problems and tough audition rounds. She is a scene stealer in Prada and I have heard great things about her performance in Looper.
Carey Mulligan looks like Michelle Williams little sister. They are both great actresses. Mulligan was great in Shame and Drive
Rooney was also as Sundance this weekend with Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, which she got a good review for from Guy Lodge at HitFix. If all the movies she shot in 2012 come out in 2013, we get 4 more shots at seeing what she can do this year. I don’t think she is going to disappoint. I can’t wait for ATBS b/c according to Lodge she sports a nice Southern accent, I have to see that!
David,
Rooney Mara and Noomi Rapace resemble each other down to the same darn cheekbones and expressions but they really are two separate people. Promise. The trailer is very spoilery but promising.
Can’t picture Carey AT ALL as Lisabeth. She is a British waif. A pixie.
Carey Mulligan would have been superb as Lisbeth. It’s too bad they passed over her. Mara was serviceable (good). Her best performance so far is the opening to The Social Network. And
Ha, I do like Anna Kendrick!
And I don’t think Carey Mulligan is one-note, I just don’t think she has shown Mara’s range. She was good, different, in Shame, though that whole movie was too much.
I just don’t think anyone else in her age range can compare to what Rooney Mara had to do for that part, to escape into that role. Granted, we weren’t very familiar with her going in, but it was a full-body, full-character transformation.
Saoirse Ronan is good too. I didn’t care for her in The Lovely Bones, though. I think she’s at a better place than Dakota Fanning now. She has depth. It’s hard to compare with actors who haven’t been given an opportunity remotely like Lisabeth Salander.
Ugh, that last comment was from me, supposed to be addressed to Zach. Not from Zach. Absent-minded while typing![fixed – AD autoflubcorrect bot]Manuel: In your list, you missed Saoirse Ronan’s best supporting actress nomination
Have you seen Shame? I really liked Carey Mulligan in that film. An Education is a given, but her performance in Shame proved she’s not a one-note actress.
As for Anna Kendrick, I think she lights up the screen, even in not-so-good films.
They’re my two favorite actresses of that age range, so I feel the urge to defend them 🙂
Right. So if my theory of Situational Symmetry is correct, Mara will soon appear in the Swedish-language remake of PROMETHEUS.
Hey, it couldn’t possibly be any worse.
David, Rooney Mara was not in Prometheus. Noomi Rapace was and played in the original GWDT.
Might be kinda spoilerish, but wow, that is a far more effective trailer than the one we got a while back.
LOL on so many levels
Rooney Mara most overrated actress of her generation.. great in GWDT but horrible in Prometheus..
Now that you’ve gotten me started, YES, of the women who’ve actually made movies who are her age, Rooney Mara is, to me, clearly the best actress of her generation. A solid second would be Jennifer Lawrence, but she’s coasting on her personality. Overrated in Silver Linings. Excellent in Winter’s Bone, but not what Rooney did in Dragon Tattoo. Not even close.
Mia Wasikowska? Give me a break! I fail to see what people find so special in this girl. She was good in Alice and TKAAR, but nothing great. She seems to have one facial expression of consternation and not the depth I’m looking for.
Poor Dakota Fanning, I don’t even know what to say about her. I hold out hope.
I do like Emily Blunt, but I haven’t seen particularly memorable or impressive character turns from her since Prada.
Carey Mulligan is a solid pick. I think she’s set for life. Her accent is beautiful. I can see her making movies in her 80s like Maggie Smith. BUT…I thought she was so impressive in An Education, only to be left disappointed after Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, which, of course, was a ridiculous yawn-fest overall. Carey Mulligan is good, she was fine in Never Let Me Go, and she looks good in The Great Gatsby, too. But I don’t see enough personality or diversity from her.
Emma Watson? Please. She’s adequate, but not capable of blowing me away. She still looks like a little girl and sometimes comes off like she’s trying too hard in her performances. There’s potential, of course, but I don’t expect her to ever blow me away. Plus she’s competing with Carey Mulligan for the same parts, and Carey is better.
Emma Stone? Getting tired of the Lindsay Lohan shtick.
Elisabeth Olsen? Good, very layered performer, from what I’ve seen so far, but she’s best suited for indies, and more on the level of Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams and, compared to them, not as standout.
I loved Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air, but can she do anything more than light comedy/dramedy? She was wonderful in the film, but not “best actress of her generation” material.
Rinko Kikuchi? WTF has she been able to do since Babel? She was very good in it, though.
Now, nobody mentioned Gabourey Sidibe, but she has much more talent than most are willing to give her credit for. She can do heavy drama and light comedy. I can’t rank her ahead of Mara yet, though.
And Kristen Stewart? I don’t even want to go there. I actually liked her as Joan Jett and in Into the Wild, but every time I think she’ll have a potential breakthrough, she seems to squander it. The Jodie Foster shtick is getting old, and she is no Jodie Foster.
What Mara did in Dragon Tattoo, especially after an impressive but relatively throwaway scene in The Social Network, now, that is acting. We’re talking the Cate Blanchett or Hilary Swank of her generation. And there are so few truly talented, truly standout actors and actresses her age.
So yes, to me, she is clearly the best. Any other actors that I’m missing?
Side note: Just finished predicting PGA online (AD) here.
—
Re best (younger) actress of one’s own generation, in random I’d like to ADD another name to the thread. (**NOT because she’s one of the best though.)
Blake Lively**.
I like her recent performance in Ben Affleck-directed The Town. In this film she played one of the supporting roles obviously, but while she was not a scene stealer she’s proven promising an actress for one’s un-certain-regard, in process — thanks to Ben Affleck so I trust — doing a good job supporting the cast when needed save being absorbed and (not) turned into otherwise another unnoted b****round artist; plus she’s sexy and beautiful.
Rooney Mara was the ingenue last year but was too young to win. They are waiting for her to more great work before she gets the Oscar. Could the same logic apply to Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica chastain? Also it could be the last chance for Riva to win an Oscar.
I also wonder if it was a smart move for Lawrence to thrash talk her competition on SNL. She came across as a yuppie upstart. I know that it was a joke but the Academy likes Oscar winners to be humble and grateful which Streep was. Same with Dujardin who seemed to be in awe.
OT
They are paying 8 to 1 on bwin and 12 to 1 on bet-at-home if Emmanuelle Riva wins.
Easy money to be made, folks 🙂
It’s great to see Catherine Zeta-Jones so frequently, these days! She was seriously amazing in Rock of Ages and Playing for Keeps. Plus I add saying that her turn in Lay the Favorite is incredibly well played.
Not a fan of Mara, but this film looks interesting. A stiff breeze would blow her over for sure. 😉
To me, the best actress of this generation is Jennifer Lawrence! But I absolutely loved Mara as Lisbeth Salander and I have high hopes for her career. I hope Side Effects to be another big step for her.
Interesting discussion going on. So “this generation” is:
Anna Kendrick (Oscar nom supporting)
Carey Mulligan (Oscar nom best actress)
Rooney Mara (Oscar nom best actress)
Mia Wasikowska
Emily Blunt
Elizabeth Olsen
Emma Stone
Emma Watson
Jennifer Lawrence (2 Oscar noms best actress)
Dakota Fanning
Elle Fanning
Alicia Vikander
Kristen Stewart
I would add:
Evan Rachel Wood
Saoirse Ronan
Brit Marling
Emayatzy Corinealdi
Rinko Kikuchi (Oscar nom supporting)
Keira Knightley (Oscar nom best actress)
Chloe Moretz
Teresa Palmer
Emma Roberts
Imogen Poots
Juno Temple
Best actress of this generation, IMO, is Carey Mulligan, followed by Anna Kendrick.
Seeing how Rooney Mara has only shown strength as David Fincher’s muse, I’d argue that Best Actress of Her Generation is a little premature.
While I’m sure she was wonderful in The Nightmare on Elm Street remake, I’d argue Jennifer Lawrence has a leg up on her. And Elizabeth Olsen is pretty phenomenal. Then, there’s Carey Mulligan, who would be my personal pick. Emma Stone has shown a lot of charisma and may still prove to be more than meets the eye. Emma Watson will eventually blow everyone away, I’m sure. Let’s not forget that Emily Blunt is only two years older than Mara (and, sadly, doesn’t get the same opportunities)
Rooney Mara? Best Actress of Her Generation? Currently, she ranks one rung below Mia Wasikowska and one rung above Kristen Stewart.
And Sasha, I know you love when there are great female roles, so you should watch the tv show American Horror Story, Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson get the spotlight and they are the best performances on tv.
I never heard of Rooney Mara before she got cast in Girl With Dragon Tattoo, but she is definitely a force to be reckoned with! She is not showy but very strong and subtle.
Soderbergh used to be one of my favorite directors. Speaking for myself, mainly because of his name on it I’d like to give this movie a try.
Any actor (actress) may happen to be working with any director. Still, I once couldn’t imagine Tatum-Soderbergh collaboration. Not to be cynical, my guess: the producers want to make sure that relatively big names are attached to the project, understandably, for sales turnover reason(?).
(Just being curious: why did Blake Lively pull out […]?)
PS: Good to see Zeta-Jones back to work with Soderbergh (for the 3rd time?); I almost didn’t recognize her in the long teaser here if not for the end credit.
Rooney Mara is the best actress of her generation.
On a side note, a few weeks ago, I recorded this 2003 TV-movie called “Lucy,” about the life of Lucille Ball. It really wasn’t any good, of course, but the best thing about it was that Ann Dowd popped up in a small role as Lucy’s mother! Well, it was fun to see her.
And please note Ann Dowd is in the trailer, playing, I think Rooney Mara’s mother. She liked working with Soderberg. Who wouldn’t? I guess you could say this is her follow-up to “Compliance” but certainly it isn’t the same sizable, leading role. But there she is with Rooney and Jude. Good for Ann!
And have you seen Stoker yet Sasha? I can’t wait for it.
Rooney Mara’s one of the greatest actresses of this generation!
Brad Brevet warns not to watch the trailer if you don’t want to spoil the film for yourself.