The scoop on movies, cinematography as well as everything else that makes up the glamorous world of scripts and glitz

Actress Alisa Reyes from such shows as Boston Public, and independent releases such as Pledge of Allegiance and day time soaps like NBC's Passions and so forth...

Second Best

The Best in Supporting Roles

There have been countless efforts on celluloid; with the central purpose of entertaining the masses my means of acting out a story rather than merely telling it. To this end entertainers have long worked on various thespian modes, all the while exploring countless appealing genres. Telling a story is no easy feat and inspiring even a smidgen of emotion, be it humor, thought, surprise or even fear is a task considerably difficult to suffice. Ever since acting took centre stage as a popular mean of entertainment there has been two categories of people — those who want to entertain and those who want to be entertained. The former is left with the daunting tasking of reaching out to the often critical and easily bored audience and communicate a fictional plot which needs to come off as convincing and befitting to the set theme. Pivoted around all this, the attention and focus often falls primarily on the lead characters. The protagonist as such steals the spotlight when in most cases it is the near forgotten sidekick that structures the movie’s suspense thrill and unpredictability. Everyone can basically predict how the lead role’s character will play out for the most part, however the mystery often rests on the supporting role to set a certain dimension to the film. Mostly true in the case of drama or comedy the role of a sidekick fills the void of monotony to strategically compliment and highlight the focal character. In Jerry Maguire for instance if it wasn’t for Cuba Gooding Jr’s sentimental family man athlete role or Renee Zellweger’s simplistic character as the trusting Dorothy, the movie simply wouldn’t be worth the DVD purchase almost a decade later. Or take ‘Chicago’ for instance the musical that plots the many facets of the buzzing jazz era; it was John C. Reilly’s role as gullible and slow Amos Hart and his rendition of ‘Cellophane’ that put the films’ core theme of deception and heart break into perspective. Similarly there are countless monumentally talented actors who marvel well in their respective understated roles as the best friend, colleague or sibling to the stories pivotal role. These actors are no doubt talented and much like countless other lead actors today who debut on screen in supporting roles with short yet memorable scenes have made their parts count. Like Julia Roberts who until her winning lead role in Erin Brockovich, mostly took on secondary roles as part of the supporting cast. To that end here is a look at a few other actors who are best know (so far) for there supporting roles and will perhaps someday need to clear space on their mantels for that all important golden statuette. Judy Geer Who could forget the frightfully gawky character Fern Mayo who is later transformed into the all popular ‘Violette’ to mesh with the popular clique and guard their vile secret in the disastrously forgettable movie ‘Jawbreaker’. Though the movie had a fraying plot Judy’s portrayal had promise as did her limited role as suicidal clerk Erin in Mel Gibson’s ‘What Women Want’ or her role as Jennifer Lopez’s easily frazzled friend/colleague Penny in ‘The Wedding Planner’. Judy Greer’s roles are simple and fun thus far and her effortless almost ‘accidental‘ approach to comedy make her characters on screen all the more appealing. John Leguizamo When it comes to a character who can essentially wear many shoes and don the most altering disguises to fit diversified roles John Leguizamo fits the bill. His voice alone is a skilful acting tool. Take the voice of Sid the Sloth in the animated story ‘Ice Age’. Leguizamo’s voice improvisation strategically structured Sid’s good for nothing yet well intended character of the now extinct weasel. His acting prominence is further seen in the musical ‘Moula Rouge’ where he takes on the role of the impish Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. He also starred as Tybalt in ‘Romeo and Juliet’, as well as portraying the sneaky antics of the name sake character in the movie ‘The Pest’ along with countless other credits that mostly circle the comedy genre. Leguizamo comedic niche comes mostly from an interplay between incredible gestures and expression and quirky stage presence. Ashton Kutcher and Jay Mohr When it comes to characters that are sweetly charming, sensitive, and a little goofy all in one, Ashton Kutcher and Jay Mohr fit the bill. Kutcher best known for his role as the ‘pretty boy’ dim-witted Kelso on ‘The Seventies Show’ nails the role of clumsy silly comedy, while Mohr has his bases covered in countless romantic comedies starring alongside the likes of Jennifer Aniston and a slew of others. Joan Cusack and Bonnie Hunt Among actresses who are most comfortable in supporting roles yet deliver their scenes impeccably well Joan Cusack and Bonnie Hunt do their jobs well. Each actor has her own exclusive style and though neither has taken on notable lead roles sometimes their supporting roles out bid the lead. Cusack is best known for comedy most commonly the well humored yet deeply thought provoking older sister, friend or dependable neighbor. Starring in flicks like ‘Haising Helen’, ‘High Fidelity’, ‘Runaway Bride’ and so forth. Joan Cusack has also taken up roles in dark comedies like ‘The Adams Family’ playing the neurotic nanny with a dark purpose of her own. Bonnie Hunt takes on a similar role in mostly family drama /comedies like ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’, ‘Beethoven’, ‘The Green Mile’, ‘Only You’ and many more. Lucy Liu When it comes to the evil mean character you can’t help but adore, no one does it better than Lucy Liu. She portrays a certain degree of theatre and steel like power in her roles. From the straightforward, shrewd, hard exterior yet surprisingly vulnerable character of Ling in Alley McBeal to her gracefully cold and violent role in Kill Bill Vol. 1, Lucy Liu takes on the love to hate role of the calmly shrill anti-heroin with unique precision. Actors taking on supporting roles are unfortunately seldom remembered for who they are but rather for their distinct roles on screen. Perhaps this lack of recognition by name works in their favor after all isn’t better to be a phenomenal actor with countless movie credits and minimal tabloid presence than the other way around? Nonetheless talents credited for supporting roles never fail to deliver unforgettable scenes and that’s what acting most prominently demands. •

Reel Triumphs

Art is creativity expressed infinitely without bounds or any restrictive rules. In other words how it is appreciated is a matter of individual perspective. So while different things appeal to different people, there are unilateral sources that bring vision and creativity to light. Movies are one such portal that has captivated audiences over the decades, using technological boosts through the years to evolve the idea of motion pictures. The idea of art and imagery has been a point of intrigue for years. As far back as late 1790s; during which Belgian optician and showman Etienne Gaspard Robertson established a Phantasmagoria, a ‘horror show’ of sorts created with a lantern on wheels projecting images that changed shape and size into smoke or a translucent screen. Around 1832-34 Belgian scientist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plate developed a spindle viewer called a phenakistoscope (also known as Fantascope or Magic Wheel), the first device that allowed pictures to appear to move. This followed a modified devise called the zoetrope created by William George Horner which was basically a mechanical form of a motion picture ‘projector’ made up of a drum that held a set of still images. When the structure turned in circular motions it created the illusion of movement. Several similar devises followed until the break through invention of the first motion-picture camera called the Kinetograph, in 1890 by Thomas Alva Edison and his assistant William Kennedy Laurie Dickson. The following year the duo created the Kinetoscope an upgraded device that allowed film to move past light. In 1893 Edison established the world’s first motion picture studio in New Jersey. A year later on January 7 Edison’s Kinetograph produced the first officially copyrighted film called Fred Ott’s Sneeze. Around Dec. 28, 1895 brother Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the Cinématography (a combination movie camera and projector) in France. Early films were mostly documentaries or set much like a puppet show, but by the turn of the century as the interest began to peak things changed. In 1902 France Voyage dans la Lune, (A Trip to the Moon) registered in as the first science fiction story. It was created on 825 feet of film and was 14 minutes long. Narrative features followed next; the first of which was the 1903 production of The Great Train Robbery. As the demand for movies increased, countless studios were set to keep up. By 1909 there were about 9,000 movie theatres in the United States. A typical film or Biography at that time would be a single reel feature that ran for about ten or twelve minutes. In 1910 the first ‘movie star’ was introduced as Florence Lawrence, the same year the first stunt was also performed (a man jump into Hudson River from a burning balloon), also the first film version of Frankenstein was released by Edison and directed by J. Searle Dawley. Also that year Max Factor introduced the first make-up line formulated for film. In 1914 Charlie Chaplin debuted and went on to become the first great star following his role in Kid Auto Races At Venice. The same year the first feature-length color film, The World, the Flesh, and the Devil, in Kinemacolor, premiered in London. Movies grew in stylization and plot; as did the presence of the once un-named actors; in fact by 1916 Charlie Chaplin’s fame lead to a boost in pay from $125 to $10,000 weekly. Cinemas were the buzz during the jazz era, and by mid to late 1920s major Hollywood motion picture studios like Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)), and Paramount were established. In 1925 the first in-flight movie, a black & white silent film called The Lost World was broadcast. That same year Western Electric and Warner Bros. partnered up to create a system to produce movies with sound. By 1927 it had become evident that movies needed an upgrade, hence the end of the silent films era. This came with the Warner Brothers production of The Jazz Singer. The movie’s first spoken ad-libbed words were; “Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.” The same year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) was established. In 1928 the first film to have full length sound and dialogue was The Lights of New York released by Warner Brothers, however paramount became the first studio to officially only release films in full sound. The following year the first Oscar ceremony took place. Paramount’s Wings (1927) won Best Picture (for production) and became the only silent film to win an Oscar. In the category of artistic merit the winner that was Sunrise (1927). By the end of the decade the film careers of many silent film stars ended since their voices didn’t quite fit the new medium. However exception like Greta Garbo, and the comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy successfully excelled in sound. In 1930s sound became a prominent fixture and lead to many blockbuster like Dracula and Frankenstein in 1931, as well as King Kong in 1933. During this decade color was also prominently featured in such films like the first full length animation – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves in 1937. Followed by The Wizward of Oz and Gone with the Wind in 1939. The decade in fact became the apex of film till the 1950s. In 1939 a challenge was introduced to film makers as the formal introduction of television at the New York World’s Fair in Queens took place and displayed the first collection of TV sets for sale. The following decade — 1940s saw the war and post war era with politically enshrined features like 1949’s Pinky that dealt with the issue of racism. The 1950’s were the ‘The Cold War and Post-Classical Era’ that concentrated on competing with television with the use of more color and introducing wide-screen films (i.e., CinemaScope, Techniscope, Cinerama, VistaVision, etc.), as well as a new generation of actors with a classic appeal. The 1960’s saw an expansion to the art of filming and better introduced genres. Horror flicks like Psycho, musical like The Sound of Music and Westside Story were introduced. Along with features like the bond series which debuted with Dr. No in 1962. The 1970’s experimented more with special effects in movies like 1973’s The Exorcist, which followed the 1972 debut of The Godfather series that revived the gangster genre. In 1975 the Star Wars trilogy was introduced, followed by the disco craze embodied by the hit Saturday Night Fever. During this decade music played a pivotal role with musician like the BeeGees lending their voices to soundtracks. The 1980s introduced the Teen flick genre while the 1990’s enveloped mainstream alternative plots, Independent Cinema, and computer generated films. This was also the decade of remakes, and an onslaught of sequels like the Batman series. The running decade of cinema now focuses on a variety of genres, filming techniques and plots. From Claymation, animation, to sci-fi special effects flicks the technology available for today’s movie direction is as limitless as the vision behind the production. A good movie is one that captivates the audience, has humor, variety and of course a sense of unpredictability. The evolving face of cinematography is what’s going to keep movies engaging and worth watching, so as long as the structure of filmmaking doesn’t grow stale ‘good’ films by definitions aren’t likely to run short any time soon. •

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