Johnny Depp as Gene Smith in upcoming movie

Quick -- buy a vintage Minolta on Ebay before they skyrocket in price!

I remember when one of the Kardashians was on a talk show with a Contax and Ebay went crazy that night!
 
Not really a fan of Depp.

He has made a career out of being freaky........altogether too quirky (personally and professionally) for my tastes and as a result no matter what role he is playing I find it hard to get beyond the fact that its just Johnny Depp strutting his stuff. That means I struggle to immerse myself in whatever film he stars in as I cannot suspend disbelief and just go with the story. Will this one be any different......maybe.

Sorry for sounding negative but he is just one of those "stars" who I do not really fancy very much. (PS Johnny when a 50 something year old man calls himself Johnny or Jimmy or some such, its kind of an invitation not to take him terribly seriously. I have enough trouble with Billy Bob Thornton's name though I much prefer him as an actor. At least the name "Billy Bob" has a kind of old world USA countrified charm about it.
 
Jimmy Stewart? Johnny Cash? It's just a name. I saw Billy Bob Thornton on a recent Dan Rather interview and he impressed me with his intelligence and insight, especially into the current lack of depth in Hollywood movies. These guys are actors, they only play parts. They're really not the characters they play.

Depp is pretty good. You're only remembering the freaky character movies. He's made his chops and shown his range as an actor. Remember, Gene Smith had some emotional problems and used drugs.
 
peterm1 said:
Not really a fan of Depp.

He has made a career out of being freaky........altogether too quirky (personally and professionally) for my tastes and as a result no matter what role he is playing I find it hard to get beyond the fact that its just Johnny Depp strutting his stuff. That means I struggle to immerse myself in whatever film he stars in as I cannot suspend disbelief and just go with the story. Will this one be any different......maybe.

Sorry for sounding negative but he is just one of those "stars" who I do not really fancy very much. .........
Click to expand...

Yup. Except I don't really think he is freaky. He is one of the stars that I just won't really watch or enjoy watching when I do.

This movie probably won't be any different. I'm guessing he will do his version of Smith, exaggerating the behaviors like drinking and drugs, which won't be what Smith was really like. Just a guess...

Glad they are making a movie about Smith though even with Depp in it. Maybe we will start seeing more movies like it since photography has a rich history of characters.
 
Minamata was/is definitely one of the worst devastating diseases of the century. Growing up in Japan, I read a lot about it in school, but never had firsthand encounters with the people who were affected by Minamata as I lived relatively far away from the area. I am looking forward to seeing this movie, and I hope this will bring some light to this tragedy that is still relatively unknown globally.
 
Steve M. said:
Eugene Smith....a great photographer. They don't make 'em like that anymore.
Click to expand...

Wife and I saw a set of "Country Doctor" prints in a Denver gallery many years ago. There's a branch of the Ceriani family living here in Denver and I believe the prints were family possessions. Might even have been printed by Smith. They were Gorgeous.
 
semi-ambivalent said:
Wife and I saw a set of "Country Doctor" prints in a Denver gallery many years ago. There's a branch of the Ceriani family living here in Denver and I believe the prints were family possessions. Might even have been printed by Smith. They were Gorgeous.
Click to expand...

S-A,

W. Eugene Smith was a great printer as well as a great photographer.

Cal
 
I'm not a huge fan of American movies, & avoided the "Pirates of the Caribbean." But I enjoyed Johnny D in the movie "Chocolat." He does play guitar in real life. I'm willing to bet he'll do a passable job as Wm Eugene Smith. Looking forward to seeing the movie.
 
I wonder if the movie will include the many hours Gene Smith spent photographing and recording Thelonious Monk? That would make for a good sound track!
 
peterm1 said:
Not really a fan of Depp.

He has made a career out of being freaky........altogether too quirky (personally and professionally) for my tastes and as a result no matter what role he is playing I find it hard to get beyond the fact that its just Johnny Depp strutting his stuff.
Click to expand...

He is not always overplaying. He performed feeling and cautious in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, one of my most loved American films. He was a young man back then, but I think he has the potential to fill the role of Gene Smith. We will see what he makes out of a serious stuff like Minamata.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top