What is it with Christian Bale? I don't get it. (1 Viewer)

[Imbi]

I see a lot of love going out for Bale, and I don't see why. He is horrible and ruins every movie he is in. Let me go down the list here.

American Psyco - 3/10 - A great book, but a poor adaptation and a horrible lead. Christian bale was stiff through the entire thing, on top of that he always looks like he has to take an enormous ****.

Equilibrium - 0/10 - I got through about 20 minutes of this movie. Maybe it's the whole plot that sucks, but still GOOD actors should be able to make a ****ty script bearable.

The Machinist - 4/10 - He lost a lot of weight for the movie, so much weight it was considered dangerous, i'll give him that, but losing weight and gaining it for movies does NOT make you a good actor. This story could have been great, even better then Fight Club. But Bale had to go and ruin it.

Batman Begins - 4/10 - To think i was actually giving Bale the benefit of the doubt, and held high hopes for BB. With my friends giving it a decent review, and other critics giving it GREAT reviews i thought this one was in the bag. But nooooo! Bale Bale Bale, the guy just can't act. He was by far the worst Batman to ever grace the screen. And again, the story was great, the orgin of batman would be awesome if it wasn't centered around Bale. God this guy sucks ass.

That's all i've seen with Bale in it, and i don't think he's going to improve any time soon either.

 

[Kain_C]

Improve? The man improves with every performance he gives, if that's possible. And I'm perfectly straight, but the guy is damn handsome to boot. He's got the looks, the acting experience, the physical strength, screen presence, and he's a damn fine actor. Plus he likes to physically change to accommodate his roles, which greatly adds to his versatility as one of the best actors, and leading men, of our time.

 

[AlexCremers]

Maybe Imbi means "Bale isn't likeable". I think I would understand that. Bale plays a lot of unlikeable characters: American psycho, Empire of the Sun, The Machinist, Batman Begins. None of them are meant to be sympathetic but he's utterly amazing in all of them!


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Alex Cremers

 

[Magnus T]

This has got to be the stupidest thread I've ever read. Bale is a GREAT actor. When he get's his first Oscar is only a matter of time and the right movie. While watching Bale act in a movie you (okay, everyone but you Imbi) immidiately notice that Bale is willing to go where other actors won't. I would like to see Bale in more drama's though. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Bale in a drama.

 

[David Rogers]

Don't see why you'd start a thread with "He's horrible and ruins every movie he is in"

With an opening like that, you're not trying to start a discussion, you seem to merely want people to enter the thread to agree with you.

Perhaps you meant something like this:

"Christian Bale receives quite a few kudos and thumbs ups from film fans and critics. I'm at a loss to understand why. Personally, I don't usually favor his performances. I don't see what I'm not seeing in this actor that so many others clearly have. What is it about Bale that enraptures you? What is it about Bale that draws you into his performances?"

You might get better responses than with your actual post.
Assuming you don't just want people agreeing with your stated opinion, that is.

 

[Michael Reuben]

You can always try Empire of the Sun, though it's hardly representative.

For dramas featuring Bale in an adult role, I recommend Laurel Canyon and Metroland.

M.

 

[Mikel_Cooperman]

Starting with Empire of the Sun and in movies like Metroland and even Batman Begins, I've always thought Bale has a lot of range.
What's your idea of a good actor imbi?

 

[Tino]

The real question is does anyone think Imbi will change his mind about Christian Bale no matter what his fans say?

The tone of his first post leads me to believe that he (or she) won't.

 

[Imbi]

I'm sorry, you are right. I apologize. I'm interested in what you guys think, i would just like to know what i'm missing in his performances. He just comes across very superficial and wooden every time i see him on screen, perhaps i've just seen the wrong movies with him. He is very much like Keanu Reeves in that regard, but i don't see anyone praising him.

 

[Brent Hutto]

We watched a little bit of the Branaugh/Thompson "Much Ado About Nothing" last night before getting bored and switching to something else. Talk about a stiff, Keanu was totally blank-faced and he MUMBLED every line. If Christian Bale were that bad I doubt he'd be getting the sort of kudos that you were questioning in the first place. Sheesh.

RE: Empire of the Sun. It's been years since I saw it in the theater but he turned in a prodigous child performance in that one. I've had it on the DVD shelf for a year and can't seem to make myself watch it (I do not believe it is a good movie, typical Spielburgian manipulative stuff) even though it has a few amazingly photograph scenes and the aforementioned Bale performance.

RE: Laurel Canyon. I liked the movie although it dragged a little bit toward the last third. Bale was deliberately underplaying his rather unformed pretty-boy character but his work was certainly appropriate to the demands of the role. McDormand was her usual riveting self. I'm tempted to say I'll watch anything with the utterly delectable Kate Beckinsale in it but that would be a lie. I couldn't bring myself to watch Pearl Harbor and then last night we quit on Much Ado, as well.

 

[AlexCremers]

Yeah, but 'Empire of the Sun' = good manipulative, 'Braveheart' = bad manipulative

 

[Kain_C]

How so?

 

[Brent Hutto]

I restate that as:

Empire of the Sun is a manipulative good movie.
Braveheart is a manipulative bad movie.

While I'm free associating, let me add the following:

The Color Purple is a movie that's so manipulative it goes beyond good or bad into its own dimension of awfulness.

The Passion of the Christ is a movie that goes beyond manipulation and whose very existence is a demonstration of the banality of evil.

To sum up:

Spielburg is a movie-maker who is so talented his movies can be worth seeing in spite of the crudest emotional cheats. Mel Gibson is not.

 

[Tom Brennan]

Bale is great in Shaft.

 

[AlexCremers]

Very good, Brent! I'm impressed.

 

[Brent Hutto]

Thanks, Alex. I guess it's a pity to spoil it by mentioning that my favorite Spielberg movie is "Minority Report" (although admittedly, in a sense it's not part of his auteur portfolio). The original theatrical version of ET was a close second.

 

[Jacob McCraw]

My wife is a huge Christion Bale fan but it has nothing to do with his acting talent.

I have not seen Batman Begins yet but I have really liked Christian Bale in everything I have seen him in and in fact I think he is the best part of some movies.

He was pitch perfect in American Psycho and in my opinion he took Equilibrium up a notch with his performance. The Machinist was great as well.

I was ecstatic to hear that he had been chosen for Batman as I thought he was the perfect choice and really the only reason I haven't seen it yet is that my daughter was born the first week of June.

 

[Tino]

I'm sorry, but how is this apparently inflammatory comment relevant in a thread about Christian Bale (no pun intended)?

 

[Brent Hutto]

Oops, I meant to say that Christian Bale's character is American Psycho was a study in the banality of evil. Must be a rogue keystroke macro that inserted the name of that movie. For that matter, maybe "The Machinist" could have been alternatively titled "The Passion of the Bale"...

 

[Kain_C]

It seems like some people use other people's rant thread to vent their own rants.