Rachelle and Cinema: Liv Tyler (Part V)

“Super” 2010

It is a totally hardcore and fucked up film in the negative sense of the word.

A too regular, ordinary, insignificant dude is left by his wife, she dumps him. What does he do? He whines and then goes after her. That doesn’t work so he disguise himself as a super hero (designed and created by himself), but that doesn’t work either. At the end, even if he stays with his soon to be ex-wife for a few more months, he is left alone with a pet. End of story.

In a certain way, it’s hateful. Being disgusting and stupid most of the times, I have to say I take consideration on the effort for being bold and do whatever the director James Gunn wanted to do; whatever fucked up bloody scenes he wanted to do (even if it hurts looking at it), that’s why the film is independent, I guess. Because at the end, who gives a fuck?

Well, I do give a fuck! Ellen Page was awesome, hilarious, but at the same time…utterly creepy, a really disturbing creepy. And Liv Tyler? She’s high all the time, which was kind of funny…but no.

“The Ledge” 2011

I’m sure at the end of the screening, the Sundance audience was like, looking at each other awkwardly, “Ok…”

This film is about religion, Christians and destiny in a very hardcore way and when awkwardness takes a whole new meaning. The story also takes love to a really new meaning of depression.

There’s a Christian couple, they were basically heavy sinners before they converted themselves to religion and to each other. They were either alcoholics or drug addicts. We have another couple, Gavin and Chris. Gavin is a man who doesn’t believe in a religion and in someone as Christians as his neighbors because he lost his young daughter (this is my interpretation). He shares an apartment with his gay friend, Chris.

It’s hard to interpret this film. People believe what they want to believe and they act with forces they didn’t knew they had them in first place. One thing gets in my throat about this film, I don’t believe someone would jump of a building and kill himself over someone he/she loved, ever; and much less in this character’s position. I also get really tired to watch a scene where a normal guy who works, pays his bills and who happens to be gay gets to hear from a Christian guy asking for God’s forgiveness and God’s strength to clean his sins. I want to call him an asshole fuck face, because he’s not the one beating his wife and getting drunk. Who does he think he is to have the right to say such things to other people, a Christian? Please. It’s hard for me to understand these religious worlds where people believe and take their faith according to definite morals.

This is a depressive film with a depressing approach on two different depressing lives.

From very early on she was known for being down to earth, mature and kind. New York always has been her place and it seems that her personal and quiet life comes always in first place or she simply doesn’t want to work much.

I had a hard time thinking what to say about Liv Tyler’s film career. She’s certainly not Meryl Streep or Daniel Day Lewis. One sure thing is that she’s not a method actor. Her career is also something unusual; if you notice, she only has films. There are no small participations in series (actually not even in films taking the exception of “U-Turn”), any guest appearances, TV movies, TV-series. She only has 24 films. She always had a significant role in every film she was in. It is literally a film career. Obviously many projects didn’t work out or were cancelled or went to other actresses. She actually turned down the role in Armageddon twice; she was playing a role in ‘August Rush’; she was playing the role of Katie Holmes in ‘The Romantics’ but dropped out. But this happens with any actor. She also worked with some actors in early stages that later won Oscars like Renée Zellweger, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Connelly and also nominated like Joaquin Phoenix.

Her career can be defined within two extremes, a very defining and tremendous moment with The Lord of the Rings and the independent films participation (and very bad and irrelevant films).

This actress is to me a very off Hollywood example. Sure she started as a model (for only a year) like millions of other actors, sure she has famous parents, sure she’s in red carpets and sometimes glamorous events, sure she’s an outspoken for a cosmetics brand, sure she’s followed by paparazzi everyday but she doesn’t show off and that I’m absolutely sure. So I don’t think she’s a Hollywood star, or at least not as common or not as often a Hollywood star. She’s Liv, a very New Yorker girl. So why talk about Liv Tyler film career? I have no clue…

My favorite film starring Liv - Cookie's Fortune