Low Tolerance for Slightly Fake
Posted: January 27, 2011 Filed under: Cinema 4 Comments »Couple of random pop culture musings this evening.
The first is that I recently spent some time watching “District 9,” on my iPhone no less (via Netflix). After getting about a quarter of the way through the movie, I gave up on it. I thought the flick started out really strong, but then some things started to bother me. For one, the evil corporation portrayed in the movie was just way too evil. I’ve got nothing against the corporation as antagonist, but when you have corporate types ordering human vivisection (of their colleague’s son-in-law, who is conscious and strapped to a table right in front of them) to make “hundreds of millions of dollars,” that seems like BS. I turned it off.
Second item was that I watched the extended trailer for “Game of Thrones,” coming to HBO this April. I’m excited for this one, having read all 4,000 pages of series in relatively short order. I have to say, though, I was slightly bummed to see that Peter Dinklage, who plays Tyrion Lannister, is sporting an English accent for the role. I guess that’s because everyone else in the series seems to have one (particularly Tyrion’s brother)? It’s too bad – I find it distracting, same way I did watching the Yanks (playing Aragorn, Frodo, etc.) in “Lord of the Rings” try their best to sound British. If I were directing, I would have let everyone keep their native accents. As the author and the directors say in the Game of Thrones video below, the fantasy genre allows flexibility. So why can’t Tyrion just talk like an American? It also looks like Sean Bean ditches his Irish accent. Ah well. I’m still going to watch show, or at least the first episode or two.
Hello, came across this in a search on Google blogs.
Dinklage affects an English accent because while fantasy allows a great deal of leeway, consistency in what you do matters. It’d be inconsistent for him to speak one way, and all the others some other way, with no rational explanation to it. Almost all the cast is from the U.K., so that’s the way they went.
And actually, Sean Bean is British. In fact, he’s from Yorkshire, and has a Northern accent … and that’smore or less the exact accent he’s speaking in the show.
So he is! I stand corrected. Should have googled before hitting publish.
Thanks for the comment. I hear you on consistency.
Goes to show what I know – always thought Bean was Scottish!
Anyway, another great post and controversial! Funnily (that’s not a word, btw) enough, I have somehow avoided seeing District 9, despite the massive love buzz and nomination. I will say this – as a fan of horror films, I often tolerate an AMAZING amount of “slightly fake” because it helps the filmmaker cement me into a position for the most effective visceral reaction. That’s what those movies are about! How about the evil corporations in RoboCop and Alien? Or, more recently, the evil mother in Black Swan?
And the accents in LOTR movies – B-R-U-T-A-L!! Unforgivably bad.
I need a little more cheepnis, please!
You know, I thought about Robocop and Aliens as I was drafting this post. I have no rejoinder to your point. I loved both of those movies. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just getting soft in my middle age. Or maybe I would have stuck it out with D9 had I been watching with you, Sturj, etc. etc.
Run to the shelter!