tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Our last article featuring Robert Pattinson dealt with the media's apparent obsession with the young British actor. In partnership with RPO and their new website called F.L.A.N.S., which promoted the need for fans to respect the actor's privacy - tMF wrote an article detailing how fans can help.

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To the Extreme: Now it seems a lot of online publications are going to the extreme to get the fan's attention. Let's take a closer look, and list down some 'glaring' examples:
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• Highly and extremely Positive - Rob's brooding good looks and the film, about eternal love and teen angst, are strikingly similar to two monumental teen idols from previous generations - James Dean and Marlon Brando - who starred in similar movies. Both Dean and Brando became young sex symbols. Brando went on to star in a number of classics such as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” both powerhouse performances directed by Elia Kazan in the early 1950s. Rob is just at the beginning of his career and where it will go from here is still anyone’s guess. But he clearly has the makings of a major star. [ source: TheImproper.com ]

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• Negative that borders on the 'Sarcastic': Now some of you may argue that Robert Pattinson is still young, and that it's unfair to compare his work with these legends. I however disagree. I was asked my opinion as to what I considered to be great acting and these actors are it. Moreover, hearing so many of you go on about Pattinson's "brilliance," literally began to turn my stomach. It wasn't so much that I hate Pattinson, I just hate what we've become as a society when it comes to our art and culture. We are worshipping at the altar of mediocrity! For those that say Pattinson "could yet still develop," I say "no." You see, even at the start of their careers all of the actors I've mentioned in my articles shared that undeniable something which I refer to as "the goods." Pattinson just doesn't have it. He's merely a colorless hack with a slight physical appeal. I don't say this to be cruel, it's just the truth. I guess in writing these articles I'm attempting to shine a spotlight on what we value nowadays as a society. Has respect for actual talent gone completely out the window? Will we keep culturally devolving until someday, someone taking a dump on national TV for an hour will pass as an evening's worth of entertainment? I surely hope not... I surely hope not. [source: The FasterTimes.com ]
  

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The bottom line: Let's keep it real. I don't think anyone will benefit from painting a very different picture of Rob. In as much as we have the right to review and assess his performance even speculate about his private life, let's focus MORE on the actor and not on the person.

OK, so let's hear it from you guys @tMF, you might ask... and we oblige!

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In this article, we profile Rob- (a) before Twilight, (b) as Edward Cullen, (c) at the height of the media circus, (d) critical acclaim versus doubts on his acting abilities, and (e) what the future holds.

Part 1: Before Twilight: Of course, he's part of the cast at Harry Potter and while it was only a supporting role, Rob was able to shine, as this critic assessed:

Robert Pattinson is just perfect as Cedric Diggory. Etc., etc. I even admit that I want to see it again. If I grade Goblet of Fire less generously than the two Chris Columbus installments, it is only because the standard has evolved with the franchise. [ read more ]

Here is a big part of Shannon McShane's profile of Robert Pattinson (which we shall be posting very soon, with lots of updates!)

Some might say he should be used to all the attention he's been receiving recently, having played the memorable Cedric Diggory, in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2005. But being famous is not something Robert ever had in mind when he started acting at the Barnes Theatre Club at the age of 15. Robert, born in May 13, 1986, and his two older sisters were raised in the greater London area, in Barnes, Surrey. His father, Richard, worked importing vintage model cars from America, and his mother, Clare, for a modeling agency. It was at his father's encouragement that he joined the Barnes Theatre Club.

Newell said: “Cedric exemplifies all that you would expect the Hogwarts champion to be. Robert Pattinson was born to play the role; he’s quintessentially English with chiseled public schoolboy good looks.”

With a growing confidence in his ability to play Cedric, and a nervous excitement which he channeled into reading the script and book repeatedly, Robert took his first steps toward fame. “I read the book before the audition and I kind of felt there wasn’t any part of the character which I didn’t think I could play…But I just felt quite at ease with it. I just really wanted to do it really well because I’m still young and everything, and a relatively inexperienced actor…I was just concentrating a lot and put quite a lot of work into it in the beginning.”

And all the work paid off in the end. The role Robert created in Cedric is one of the most memorable in all the Potter movies. To have had any other actor in that role would have made Cedric a throw-away character, but Robert brought him to life. And so the acclaim began. He remembers the London premier of Goblet of Fire in a 2005 interview with Telegraph -

On the night, he stepped from his limo to face 12,000 people and a barrage of flashbulbs. ‘I was in a trance the whole way through it,’ he remembers. ‘The day before I was just sitting in Leicester Square, happily being ignored by everyone. Then suddenly strangers are screaming your name. Amazing.’

After Harry Potter-mania had died down, Robert went back to London and pursued some of the best roles we’ve seen of him to date. The Haunted Airman and The Bad Mother’s Handbook.

Then the role of the immortal Edward Cullen in Twilight.

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Part 2: As Edward Cullen and the Rise of the Twilight Fandom: I guess some people will remain adamant about their Twilight perception- that the fandom is only made up of silly, young screaming girls and gay guys. Some people believed that to be true then, so how can we actually expect these same people to change their minds now?

I wrote in an article the below note:

Twilight has a lot of things going for it, and I feel that online media, especially those who specialize in featuring big super blockbusters, are not being fair about the Stephenie Meyer book-turned-movie. Aside from Cinematical, MTV Blog, First Showing and now Slash Film, a lot of the big movie news sites have yet to even mention the film. Can you imagine Yahoo movies not even featuring Twilight in their movie profiles? Surprisingly, as of my latest check, they have yet to do a write-up.

All of these had changed, of course. Anyone interested in reading an article about Rob, the other cast or the movie itself will be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what's available online and in print.

On the Twilight Fandom: There is power and influence in numbers. In a tMF Poll (dated April 2008), here's the result, and you may want to take note of what we have to say:

Twilight's Robert Pattinson, apparently one of the most charming and talented young actors today, also has one of the most ardent and resourceful group of fans who are obviously ready to take on the world. With a total of 3,876 votes, he virtually took over the recent tMF poll. The rest of the leading young actors are: #2: Daniel Radcliffe - 954, #3: Channing Tatum - 176, #4: Daniel Bruehl - 139 and #5: Gaspard Ullie l- 101.. Some Inside Stories: We were hit by a huge amount of traffic starting early this week as the polls opened. The majority of these visitors wanted to move Robert Pattinson up the ranks. We thought we were prepared for this, but apparently we were not. "They have no idea what they unleashed!" says one ardent Pattinson supporter. Indeed we were clueless regarding the extent of Mr. Pattinson's legion of fans! But there were others who also took notice of the poll and managed to help other actors gain votes. With a little less than 1,000 votes cast, Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, took 2nd place. [ read more ]

A formula for success can be: Robert Pattinson + Kristen Stewart + Twilight Cast = News;

News can be made up of Gossip + Rumors + Scandals + Private and revealing photos taken by Paparazzi;

News = Sales Revenue (from Fans, of course)

Bottomline = Cash.

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Part 3: At the Height of the Media circus: What is meant by self-deprecation?

Self-deprecation also refers to making negative statements regarding one's own appearance or abilities, such as saying "I'm so fat" or "I'm such an idiot", often with the intended result that their friends will tell them that they really aren't. Statements and patterns of behavior such as these may indicate self image or self esteem problems.

That's how the wiki defined self-deprecation. I started Part 3 by emphasizing on this very term. I think fans of the actor can remember how Rob responds to interviews when the focus of the discussion is about his personality, his talent...

Looking back, here's our article - which is more than enough to fill in the gap:

The issue about and the resolution regarding actors' invasion of privacy will take years before anyone can see any sign of progress, if at all. Obviously, a lot are at stake. Tabloid publishers got a gossip and rumour hungry audience numbering in the millions to consider. Paparazzi as a career continues to break new grounds and as collaborators, the celebrity gossip bloggers need more scandals to spread around, with photos added for dramatic effect. But let us not forget those aspiring young boys and girls who'll do anything for the sake of publicity and 'art', in that particular order. To those who want to maintain the status quo, their argument: since you desperately want to become rich and famous, you just need to 'get used to it'. To an actor like Rob, getting used to it, requires the help of his talent manager and/or agent and the employment of celebrity bodyguards. Perhaps one might add, an actor like Rob might need the services of a Psychiatrist, a Nutrionist, an experienced fortune teller (card or hand or both) and/or horoscope reader and adviser, an athletic trainor and a personal secretary to handle his financial, personal and creative needs. I forgot! how about a Personal Physician, to monitor his health and sign for the much-needed prescription drugs? (Only in America: Ignore the hype surrounding illegal drugs, we got something better: Go Prescription!!!!) [ read more ]

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Part 4: Critical acclaim versus Doubts: An overwhelming majority of critics and film reviewers lambasted Twilight, while Rob's two other movies - How To Be and Little Ashes have yet to be released in the States. However, Rob won two Best Actor awards during How To Be's Festival round-ups.

So, is Rob all hype? Says Oliver Irving, How To Be's filmmaker, and the one who cast Rob to play the lead role of Art. (Take note: Rob and the whole cast agreed not to be compensated until the movie's box office returns resulted in a break-even.)

He just seemed the right person for the job. He was interesting to look at – but down to earth enough to play the part. He really seemed to “get it” – he knew people like the characters in the script, and understood the main character ‘ART’. Not having gone through drama school, Rob’s acting and response to direction fit in well with other main cast members who were not trained actors either. Rob actually underplayed his musical ability in the auditions, as he knew the character was meant to be rough around the edges when it comes to musical ability – but it actually was invaluable in the end that he understood the music references and had the technical ability to pull off what we were asking from him.

I might add my own comments:

Ledger gained respect from his peers and the film industry in general for maintaining his integrity and not succumbing to the dictates of agents to play sugary teeny-bopper roles. Robert seems to have chosen to go Ledger's way - the hard way. I base my observation on the roles he has chosen which are his answer to critics who might be judging him as a handsome actor with no real talents or prospects. Like Brokeback Mountain, the upcoming Little Ashes has a gay-focused theme. There might be parallels between the two movies, but I think both movies are unique and offer different perspectives on relationships.

You might want to ignore my comments if you think its redundant and self-serving. But if you're going to assess Pattinson's performance on screen, I think Oliver Irving's remarks should be validated. Who is best to judge an actor than the director himself?

Film critics and movie bloggers can only manage to influence or sway public opinion, more so a filmmaker who actually worked with the actor. Am I right or am I right?

Going back to the Brando-Dean comparison, I don't think we have to go to that extreme. At this point, Rob has a lot to prove in terms of his acting, much more his career longevity.

Let's focus more on today's leading men, these icons are legends already. Pattinson is apparently not a legend nor an icon for that matter.

Lastly, that article (the sarcastic one? Yup! yay!!!) and I quote once again because I revel on the beauty of its composition:

It wasn't so much that I hate Pattinson, I just hate what we've become as a society when it comes to our art and culture. We are worshipping at the altar of mediocrity! For those that say Pattinson "could yet still develop," I say "no." You see, even at the start of their careers all of the actors I've mentioned in my articles shared that undeniable something which I refer to as "the goods." Pattinson just doesn't have it. He's merely a colorless hack with a slight physical appeal. I don't say this to be cruel, it's just the truth.

It's one thing to convince viewers about one's point of view. It's another to force one's opinion to others.

To be cruel is to deliberately inflict pain and suffering. Need I say more?

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Part 5: What the Future Holds: This part has to do with his future projects and while others might show a more impressive list of future works, Rob's is also quite impressive.

So let me list down the four films: a historical drama based on a book - Bel Ami, a modern-day romance-drama with Emilie de Ravin - Remember Me, a western-drama entitled- Unbound Captives where he'll act alongside Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz and the latest Twilight sequel -New Moon. [ More details are available here, including detailed assessments of each of these movies.]

Finally, here's what we have so far...

We have a young actor who is undoubtedly very popular. His movie, Twilight, is a certified box office success, but failed to impress the critics. His other movies (How To Be and Little Ashes) have yet to be seen by majority of moviegoers in the States. He's scheduled to perform in four new films.

He is not a James Dean nor a Marlon Brando. Both comparisons are extremely unfair to both these actors and to Rob himself. Is he just "merely a colorless hack with a slight physical appeal?" Definitely not. He has the potential to become a most sought-after actor and work with some of the industry's most innovative and visionary filmmakers. Such potential can either be realized or not. It depends on the next few months and depending on the outcome of his future projects.

Finally, at this point his success as an actor can be measured by two definitive criteria: Box office success and critical acclaim (including awards won and nominations).

The answer: He has managed to achieve both in (a) extreme measure - Twilight earned more than $190 million (domestically) at the Box Office, and (b) slightly moderate measure - his performance in How To Be gained him 2 Best Actor awards in 2 minor Film Festivals.

As they say, he is still a 'work in progress'. We have yet to see his best and/or his worst...

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What's on your mind? What can you say about the article? What is your personal assessment of Robert Pattinson as an actor? Which part of the article you feel strongly about - agree or disagree? Let us know what you think!
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