 |
| "Who said I have creepy eyes?" |
Let's just come out and say it: you're probably a little wary of The Voices because of its star, Ryan Reynolds. Maybe you're all, "Um, Ryan Reynolds?" But trust us, after you see this film you'll be all, "RYAN EFFING REYNOLDS!"
First of all, Reynolds gets props for being Canadian. As Canadians, we must hold all of our National Treasures dear (except Justin Bieber and Nickelback, but that goes without saying.) Second of all, his performance in The Voices is absolutely astonishing and career-changing. This is soooooo not the Reynolds we all remember from Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. (Aw! Who remembers that show? Oh god, are we showing our age? Dammit.)
Reynolds' slowly eased his way into the mainstream consciousness in the early 2000s with movies like Van Wilder, Blade: Trinity, Waiting..., Amityville Horror, Smoking Aces, Just Friends, and The Proposal. While we can't say they were all amazing films (except obviously The Proposal is hilarious and amazing because rom-com with Sandy Bullock, duh) but they show a crazy variety of characters and style that normally isn't seen in young actors. It was his small role as Wade Wilson (um, Deadpool for anyone who isn't in the know) in one of those Wolverine movies that landed him on the good side of the comic fan radar because he is the Deadpool we need and deserve, yet his turn as Hal Jordan in Green Lantern did the complete opposite. (And we don't wanna talk about R.I.P.D.)
 |
| We'll always love you furrr-ever, Ryan Reynolds! |
Lately, though, he's been taking more challenging roles like The Croods. Kidding. We're talking about the much talked about Buried (2010) where Reynolds plays a dude literally buried in a box the entire movie, which was described as claustrophobic (you think?!) and incredibly suspensful. And then there was 2007's The Nines (directed by the screenwriter of Big Fish). While it wasn't met with rave reviews, the multi-character, bizarre, philosophical story gave Reynolds another chance to display his potential star power. This year, there was Atom Egoyan's Captive. While the film premiered in Cannes to, uh, mixed reviews, it still speaks volumes that the acclaimed director cold-called Reynolds for the role. Reynold's IMDb page shows upcoming films with Tarsem Singh (The Fall!!!!!), Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn), Ariel Vromen (The Iceman), and Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck(Half-Nelson) so we can expect interesting things from Mr Reynolds in the future.
 |
| "I'm so loveable, honest!" |
And all of that brings us to the reason you're going to completely fall in love with him (yes, even though he plays a serial killer): The Voices. Director Marjane Satrapi talks very candidly about how he reached out to her regarding the role and even she was hesitant but after meeting him, she decided he was perfect for the role. You know, because he had very, very creepy eyes. Serial Killer eyes! The Hollywood Reporter said it was a "go-for-broke performance that’s intentionally mannered, yet entirely in sync with, the film’s shifting tones," and Collider said,
[H]e proves that he’s most certainly a skilled actor, as he proves adept at taking on darker, more difficult characters; he plays Jerry with a mix of glee, loneliness, anger, and, well, insanity. It’s a truly go-for-broke performance, and it’s to Reynolds’ credit that Jerry remains sweet and sympathetic throughout the entirety of the film, despite the fact that Jerry is doing some very bad things.
What does this tell us? That movie reviewers like saying "go-for-broke" apparently. But also that Ryan Reynolds is amazing and you should all definitely be seeing The Voices at this year's Festival. There are still some tickets left so you know what to do. (Um. Get the tickets.)
THE VOICES screening times:
Thursday, Sept 11th 9:00 PM RYERSONFriday, Sept 12th 6:00 PM THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
No comments:
Post a Comment