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Movie Monologues: Amistad

5/21/2014

by Paul Costello

Today’s monologue marks the first time we’ve looked at a scene from a Spielberg movie since our very first one with Robert Shaw’s USS Indianapolis speech from Jaws. This time, we turn our focus to a monologue delivered by another even greater actor, in film that also involves boats… but that’s really the extent of the similarity.

Movie Monologues: Amadeus

5/8/2014

by Paul Costello

Before I continue, I’m going do this:

SPOILER WARNING!! GO WATCH THIS FILM BEFORE CONTINUING!!

When talking about the work of Orson Welles, someone once said that talent finds easy that which a normal person would find difficult, and that genius (in this case Welles) finds easy that which a talented person would find difficult. Aside from being a long way of paraphrasing Schopenhauer, it does rather successfully light upon the distinction between the capabilities of those with talent and those with something more. It must be a hell of a thing to be talented, capable and accomplished, to have the world within your grasp, only to be robbed at the last by the grubby hands of someone blessed with something you know you will probably never be capable of… which brings us to the film Amadeus.

Shakespeare Day - Movie Monologues: "St. Crispin's Day"

4/23/2014

by Paul Costello

William Shakespeare. Poet, dramatist, arguably the greatest writer in the English language, and most certainly the hardest working screenwriter currently working in Hollywood, despite the rather notable handicap of being dead for almost 400 years. And today at I'm With Geek we celebrate the life and work of Shakespeare in a multitude of ways. My own humble contribution to this celebration is to shine a light on three separate performances of a single Shakespearean speech, specifically the St. Crispin’s Day speech from Henry V (Act IV, Scene III).

Movie Monologues: Good Will Hunting

4/10/2014

by Paul Costello

There was a time that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were just two young actors trying to make their way in the tough game of Hollywood. Sure, they got work here and there (Damon picking up small supporting roles in School Ties and Courage Under Fire; Affleck in Dazed and Confused, Mallrats and Chasing Amy), but they still weren’t swinging much higher than other young actors at the same time.

Then they wrote a script called Good Will Hunting, which launched the pair of them instantly to stardom and Academy Award-winner status. And, like Chayefsky’s script for Network, Good Will Hunting is not afraid of a good monologue.

Movie Monologues: Network

3/27/2014

by Paul Costello

What are some of the best scripts to ever be produced? Seriously, what would you put up there in a top five or a top ten? Off the top of my head, I'd probably include Chinatown, Tootsie,Back to the Future, Se7en... and I'd be doing an utter disservice to the field if I didn't include Paddy Chayefsky's searing satire of what happens when bad choices are made in television: Network.

Movie Monologues: The 25th Hour

2/12/2014

by Paul Costello

Our look at monologues from non-Oscar-winning actors continues with this one from Edward Norton that, if YouTube is any indication, is a favourite for aspiring actors everywhere.

I’ve heard 25th Hour described before as “two-hours of a pretty boy being afraid he’s going to be raped when he goes to jail”… whilst that may be part of the emotional turmoil that exists within the film, describing 25th Hour in that way is like describing Antichrist as a film about a couple going on holiday in the woods. Rather leaves something out of the telling.

Movie Monologues: Twelve Monkeys

2/6/2014

by Paul Costello

For the month of February, I have decided to offer a few weeks of monologues from actors who have never won an Oscar, despite nominations and/or general consensus that it should already have happened. Why?

Because everyone loves a good theme.

Movie Monologues: Mommie Dearest

1/30/2014

by Paul Costello

“Legendary” is a term too often thrown about nowadays. A word meant to illustrate a state of timeless magnificence and virtually intractable stature now gets used to describe a multitude of things, from people of great historical significance to those really good nachos you had at that place last week.

However, rarely does the term come to have quite the strength and versatility of meaning as it does when talking about something like Mommie Dearest.

Movie Monologues: Blade Runner

1/23/2014

by Paul Costello

Before I continue, I’m going do this:

SPOILER WARNING!! GO WATCH THIS FILM BEFORE CONTINUING!!

Blade Runner is almost utterly singular in its place in filmdom. Originally based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and directed by Ridley Scott, it is a text of vast thematic scope; a piece of art of incredible conceptual design; a nightmare of production problems; polarising like almost none other.

There are perhaps only a handful of films in the world that are simultaneously regarded as both over-rated and under-rated, but Blade Runner is most certainly one of them, if not the definition of the type.

Movie Monologues: Wall Street

1/16/2014

By Paul Costello

This week sees the general UK release of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street, biography of Jordan Belfort, noted financial fraudster and sex-haver. In honour of this, we turn our attention to probably moviedom’s most famous Wall Street inhabitant: Gordon Gekko.

<<Previous

Movie Monologues: Amistad

Movie Monologues: Amadeus

Shakespeare Day - Movie Monologues: "St. Crispin's Day"

Movie Monologues: Good Will Hunting

Movie Monologues: Network

Movie Monologues: The 25th Hour

Movie Monologues: Twelve Monkeys

Movie Monologues: Mommie Dearest

Movie Monologues: Blade Runner

Movie Monologues: Wall Street

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