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Post by ecw on Nov 20, 2008 19:52:33 GMT -5
Ahhh there are so many. But were any of you guys impressed with the work Dutch did when he got that gang-banger to rat on Shane for trying to have Ronnie wacked??
I mean, Dutch can be an overzealous prick sometimes. But the guy who plays him does such a good job of the role. Like Dutch fits the whole "detective" role perfectly.
On a side note, do you guys think it is a symbolism of how much of a circus the barn has turned into, considering that funny ass Steve guy is still employed there? haha
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Post by eiolon on Nov 20, 2008 20:57:47 GMT -5
I've always been most impressed with CCH throughout the series, especially since S2 when her character started to develop more. I've been impressed with Walton as well. I never heard of him before The Shield but will be looking out for his other post-Shield roles.
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Post by ecw on Nov 20, 2008 21:04:01 GMT -5
Thats a good point dude. There are alot of actors/actresses on this show that really made name for themselves. Even the characters that were "disliked" it was never for a lack of performance.
One thing i was always curious about. How they were able to get the bad guys, or the "gang bangers" to fit the parts so well. You would almost think they took them off the streets and said "hey, wanna be in a show" haha
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Post by aussieangel on Nov 20, 2008 21:36:14 GMT -5
There's a bunch of talk about casting on the dvd commentaries. They do an awesome job, there hasn't been one actor who I thought couldn't play their role.
For me this season, Walton has it hands down. There's been such a development of Shane from the happy go lucky hill billy with the albeit crooked world at his feet to someone so lost and so desperate clinging on to the only things that have stuck by him, his wife and child. Walton has made most shield viewers feel for Shane and Mara, something I thought was not possible (...and is not for me, I f*cking hate Mara, Corrine should have bitch slapped her when she had the chance... I digress), but I have felt for Shane. In conclusion, Walton rocks!!
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Post by bachatan on Nov 20, 2008 21:54:22 GMT -5
I love the acting on the show, everyone honestly
but Michael Chiklis, becomes Vic Mackey engtirely, u hear him on interviews, and all the smiles,
and Vic, is so bad, so serious, and can be so ruthless,
also whenever Vic feels helpless the way his eyes almost look watery like he is so upset,
thats when I love watching Chiklis the most, Favorite actors all time
Deniro, Denzel, Alec Baldwin, Gene Hackman, and for this role alone, Michael Chiklis
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Post by vicmikey on Nov 20, 2008 22:04:36 GMT -5
The whole cast is amazing(minus cathy ryan and autumn chiklis,sorry) But Chiklis is sooooooooo goood!!!! and Walt Goggins, amazing! When he said last week, "My wife's not going to jail" all crying, that was such good acting!
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Post by JohnnyL on Nov 20, 2008 22:18:49 GMT -5
There's just too many good actors and actresses to choose from in the show......But if I'm forced to pick at least three.....
CCH Pounder.......Her acting has been superb during the whole series, going from a Vic enabler in Season 1 to a Vic hater......
Walt Goggins....I had heard of Walt before in Major League II (I think), but I didn't connect him until I saw the movie when the Shield had started.....I have to agree with AussieAngel about his acting, which has been spot on top notch Season 8 and this season....
Mikey Chick's acting ramped up with the second to last ep when he confessed to killy Terry. The look in his eyes and on his face, the coldness of it all was there......
I am going to miss this show but I ain't leaving here as all ya'll are family to me....
Hell, whether we realize it or not, we're one big family here because of one show....
Kinda gives me a warm fuzzy feeling inside....
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Post by jophus on Nov 20, 2008 22:25:14 GMT -5
I've always been most impressed with CCH throughout the series, especially since S2 when her character started to develop more. I've been impressed with Walton as well. I never heard of him before The Shield but will be looking out for his other post-Shield roles. I agree that CCH has really come into her own on this show. Then again, my only exposure to her otherwise was ROBOCOP 3.
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Post by yourmomma on Nov 20, 2008 22:40:15 GMT -5
I think CCH Pounder, Walton Goggins, and Michael Chiklis are definitely the 3 powerhouses on The Shield - while the other actors are good, they just seem to pale in comparison to these 3. Walton and Chiklis are amazing, but they've also been given SUCH good material to work with - and they've delivered time and time again. CCH Pounder on the other hand -- she's had a much more limited role, and much less chance to flex her acting prowess -- but God damn it, when she gets even the slightest opportunity to show her amazing talent, she releases it. Forget even the dialogue she delivered in her meltdown in the latest episode -- just watch those last 2 seconds of her, where her face cracks and she puts her hand over her mouth. Daaaaamn. That nearly made me lose it, right there. I'm also going to be a negative nancy, and list the acting that I've been least impressed with... and in that column, I'm going to say David Rees Snell, Cathy Cahlin Ryan, and Michelle Hicks. Now don't get me wrong -- they're not bad by any stretch of the imagination. But I definitely feel, that in relation to the rest of the cast, that they are the somewhat weak links, in the sense that they're pretty one-note. I feel that Ryan and Hicks, while good in their roles, deliver quite a few of their lines awkwardly, and in a way that just doesn't sound right. I think if their roles were given to someone with Pounder's acting chops, their characters would be more relateable and sympathetic, and nuanced. That being said, I think their acting has definitely evolved and improved throughout the series' - they are delivering their best work to date in this final season. Hicks' has me feeling for Mara, and Ryan did 'hysterical' really well, most notably in the season 6 finale. Similarly, it's always been my opinion that Ronnie was always in the background because of DRS's limited ability - his role has increased in the past 2 seasons, but that's just because his character necesssarily became more important story-wise. He still never really does anything more than 'quietly seething' though. But I'm sure all the Ronnie-lovers especially will disagree with such an assessment...
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Post by slipperyslope on Nov 21, 2008 0:13:44 GMT -5
lets not forget kavanaugh...i know he was around for only one season but that was enough to make him shine....that piss speech will never be forgotten and the scene he asked vic if his neck was feeling sore because the noose was tightening around his neck and then u see him dangling that tea bag, smiling...very creepy. o yah and that episode where they filmed in his perspective was unique
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Post by conrad on Nov 21, 2008 12:33:51 GMT -5
I think Michelle Hicks has been tremendous this season. So has Cathy Ryan. I don't see how anyone could have done a better job in those roles.
I agree that Snell is somewhat stone-faced and doesn't exhibit much range. Part of the problem in his case may be in the writing. He was always something of a background character and it shows.
Autumn Chiklis is the weakest member of the cast from an acting standpoint. Her default facial expression is sort of a weird, fix-eyed stare, like she's not allowed to blink or something. Most child actors succeed by learning not to "act," and instead just being relaxed and natural. In her case, they seem to have eschewed that approach. I really don't understand her performance at all.
I'm not blown away by Catherine Dent's acting. I'd say its workmanlike, but I don't think it's remarkable in any way.
I also don't think Michael Jace's acting is that great. I think he's believable, but he has a bit of the David Snell problem of having a face that just doesn't naturally project a lot of emotion. He (Jace) usually just looks sort of grim. Fortunately, his character is a guy who isn't trying to stand out and who in fact seems to keep things bottled up inside.
For my money, there are three regulars whose performances have been perfect: CCH, Walt, and Jay Karnes. Just never a false move from any of them.
Chiklis is near-perfect. My only quibble with him as that occasionally he'll go a little too far in making sure the audience picks up the significance of what he's saying (for example, telegraphing to the audience that he's telling a lie). I can't in all honesty say his delivery is always 100% true. However, he gets all sorts of credit in my book for his characterization of Vic. Chiklis obviously has the lion's share of screen time and it's asking a lot to expect perfection.
Benito Martinez is great. Kenneth Johnson was great.
David Marciano has been very impressive as Billings. It's almost a comedic role, yet he glides in and out of ridiculousness so naturally that it never seems out of place.
Glenn Close was very good even if Monica Rawlings wasn't the most interesting character ever written. Forrest Whitakker was good, but a little over the top. He could have ratcheted back the creepiness factor a notch or two.
Anthony Anderson (Antoine Mitchell) was first rate.
The best acting by a guest star may be by the guy who plays Lloyd, Dutch's teen-age serial killer.
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Post by bnyrabbit on Nov 21, 2008 13:43:06 GMT -5
Walton Goggins is perfiect. His emotion is SO real and accurately pitched. I made a comment in another thread about the range of emotions he's able to go through in a short period of time. I never get the sense that he has only one angry expression and only one sad expression, etc. He understands that anger, sadness and other emotions are a range and are mixed according to the situation. I don't know how he does it.
I've always liked Chiklis, but last week he blew me away. SUCH an amazing performance.
Jay Karnes and CCH Pounder have always been wonderful to watch. Of course I always loved Kenny as Lem--he was incredible.
The only weak link on the show is Cathy Cahlin Ryan, in my opinion. NOT that I could do any better, mind you!
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Post by F*ckernando on Nov 21, 2008 17:29:48 GMT -5
walton f**kin goggins and chick...
those conversations scenes........yea..
f*ck the emmys...f*ck the grammys....the oscars.......THOSE GUYS DESERVE SOME EXTRATERRESTRIAL AWARD YEEEEEEEEA!!
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Post by Strike Team 4 Life on Nov 23, 2008 18:41:35 GMT -5
Walton Goggins, CCH Pounder, Michael Chiklis, Cathy C. Ryan, Paula Garcia etc.... AKA EVERYONE brings something to the table in THE SHIELD!!!
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Post by acc on Nov 24, 2008 1:34:04 GMT -5
I truly believe the entire "core eight" that began from Our Gang through Postpartum (after Reed Diamond's removal in Pilot and Lem's in Postpartum) are all stellar in their roles and that whatever "apparent" limitations you may see are in the writing and are meant to exist (such as Chiklis letting the audience occasionally know when Vic's telling a total lie, I think that is just a character trait, part of Vic's narcissism and almost juvenile sense of "Look, I'm getting away with another one," that he can't help but possess, seemingly). Catherine Dent, for instance, may not get that much to do episode-to-episode but when she's really called upon to give it her all, she does, as in scenes when she tells Vic that their relationship isn't working for them in 2x05 Greenlit or recently when she felt pushed in a corner in 7x07 Bitches Brew. Occasionally I do get the sense that Michael Jace has trouble conveying too much with his face--I couldn't help but think that most of the actors could have made a great tragic face at the revelation of that woman killing that kid in 7x11 but Jace's Julien was a little stone-faced, even if obviously saddened by the news. But that may be largely in the writing.
I will say that I've never thought very highly of Paula Garces. Even the little things with her sometimes bug me. Like in this very last episode, in her biggest moment of the season, when Shane has a gun pointed at her. She still pulls some of her hair away from her face. Now, maybe Tina would do that, but for some reason it just irritated me, almost like it was breaking out of the moment, or she didn't want her pretty face obstructed by anything for the camera. Ironically, her best acting scene might be her complete breakdown at the crime scene whereat Lem was killed. It was very big but she gave it her all, and I felt that in a way very much unlike the normal Garces-as-Tina bit.
Jay Karnes may be the most underrated actor on the show, however. Frankly, I've long wondered why the writers seem so fickle when it comes to letting Karnes do his thing in a major way. Everything they give him works out so well largely because Karnes is so perfect, and every. single. mannerism. fits. Every. time. It's amazing, and it's sadly under-recognized because he usually doesn't get to break down and be pathetic like Goggins or be the Center of the Universe like Chiklis (bless them both).
I'd say Glenn Close took a solid character and made her more, whereas Forrest Whitaker took an already "big" character and made him bigger and bigger. There were instances where I thought the same thing as conrad, which is that he could have toned it down a little. But in the end he gave a fine performance, especially in his last four episods or so in my honest opinion.
Hicks and CCR don't get much credit, partly because for so long everyone has hated Mara and CCR doesn't get much respect because her character is seen as so whiny, and she happens to be the showrunner's wife. But they've both done extremely well this season. Hicks in particular has taken her game to the next level. Funny, I JUST finished watching Mulholland Drive, which has Laura Harring in it (Becca Doyle) and I spotted Hicks in it, in a tiny role. Anyway...
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Post by fudge20dip on Nov 26, 2008 11:57:04 GMT -5
I would have to go with Michael Chilikis first because he carried the show to begin with. One of the things I love most about Vic is when he is stressed or in a real tight situation. He does not break usually, but he does this real fast blinking motion with his eyes.
I have just be stunned by Googins acting the last two seasons. The fact that he was able to kill a main charactor that everyone fell in love with and to be so tormented after that, that we forgive him. Vic killed Crowley in the first episode, but we never got to know who that guy was, so it was a big difference for the audience when Shane committed the same act as Vic.
One of my favorite Dutch interrogations was when they interviewed this guy that was poisioning his financially stable brother. Dutch completely talked down to this guy, at one point he was drawing pictures to point out just how dumb the guy was.
CCH pounder was amazing in the 2nd episode of season 6. She brought a tear to my eye when she talks about how the barn was plagued with background deals and moral exchanges and the only way to fix it was with the truth.
Kavaughn's speech to the Chief about how dirty Vic was, opened up my eyes again. For 5 seasons I routed for the guy and that speech brought some clarity of why he needed to be brought down.
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Post by -|E|- on Nov 26, 2008 12:24:15 GMT -5
Walton. Effing. Goggins.
From powerful and emotional lines like when he tells Tina, "My wife is not going to jail," to the scared and weak, "Bullshit," to Vic on the phone, Walton Goggins totally OWNS Shane Vendrell. His last spoken words, "Family meeting," will be rattling around in my head for a long long time yet.....
I love them all, really, I mean, they're all fantastic actors.... Chickky, DRS, CCH, Michael Jace, Cathy Ryan, Michelle Hicks, Jay Karnes, Catherine Dent, Beni, David Marciano, Paula Garces, Laurie Holden.... they all deserve major kudos for this season.... but Walton. Effing. Goggins.... holy motherfuckking shit! Yowza. Powerful stuff. If he does not get an Emmy for this role, or at LEAST a nom, I am going to be utterly dismayed.
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Post by Lemonhead on Nov 26, 2008 16:28:35 GMT -5
Anyone who questions Dave Snell's acting ability after last night is blind.
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Post by acc on Nov 26, 2008 17:32:01 GMT -5
Snell's breaking down after hearing the news about Shane and his family was probably the best acting he ever committed to the series. That was tough to watch, and of course given the highly discomfiting gauze of him wanting Shane killed, and he and Vic being okay with offing Mara along with him.
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Post by stealingjoy on Nov 26, 2008 17:56:52 GMT -5
Walton Goggins is a god. So unbelievably good.
"Who you got, Vic? Tell me! Who you got?"
His emotion in that final conversation with Vic is so palpable.
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